


Moving In

by Padfootastic



Series: Muggle!AU [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, M/M, muggle!AU, rommates!au, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2018-12-20 03:03:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11911875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Padfootastic/pseuds/Padfootastic
Summary: MuggleRoommates!AURemus Lupin has recently been kicked out of his dorm room, and James has had enough of Sirius Black moping around the house after his breakup. One not-so-carefully written ad and some suspicion later, our two distressed protagonists meet.





	1. The Sketchy Advertisement

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I know, I'm horrible for not updating An Exquisite Rendezvous, but I've really been in a slump for that and I'm hardly able to write a page. In the meantime, I wanted to write something else just to get back in the habit of writing and thus, this came about.
> 
> It's completely pre-written and needs only to be published. It's not very long, 3-4 chapters depending on how and where I cut it. However, it WILL have a sequel because there are a lot of loose ends that need addressing that I couldn't fit in here.
> 
> I really, really hope you guys like this, it's my first time doing a muggle!AU and doing a wolfstar so I'm nervous :")
> 
> Reviews keep me going, so they're always appreciated. Feel free to leave constructive criticism.
> 
> (Also, I know I'm not very creative with titles/summaries so please forgive those pitiful attempts)

_**Roommate** _ ~~_**needed**_  ~~ _**wanted.** _

_**Fully furnished room and equipped kitchen.** _

_**Cheap rent.** _

_**Text the number below for more details.** _

~~_**Don't bother if you're a female and/or over the age of twenty-five.** _ ~~

Remus cocked his head at the flyer that was haphazardly stuck to the library window. He  _was_ in desperate need of decent, affordable housing and this sounded like what he had envisioned but…he wasn't too sure. He read it once again, trying to figure out why he was hesitating. Cheap rent, though that was subjective, and fully furnished lodgings was something that he wasn't holding out on. And yet, right in front of him was the perfect opportunity.

"REMUS!" A voice shouted from inside the library, making him jump in surprise.

"MARLENE! This is a library, goddammit," Another voice followed the first one. This one older, crankier and distinctly male.

Remus grinned as a sheepish looking Marlene McKinnon walked out of the library, dressed in black slacks and one of her band t shirts. She mouthed 'what an ass' with a finger cocked in the direction of the reception, making Remus shake his head in fond exasperation.

Marlene McKinnon was the type of woman who looked like she was made for the high life, working in jazz bars and touring with rock bands. She was crazy, exhilarating and completely breathtaking. She wasn't the type you would see working in a quiet library in a small town where nothing usually ever happened.

She was also extremely feminine for Remus' taste, so whatever could have probably happened did not, much to her constant regret.

"Hey, Marls," Remus greeted in his usual low baritone. Marlene bounded up to him, kissing him deeply on the cheek.

"Remus, love, it's been entirely too long since you've been to see poor 'ol me," Marlene playfully scolded a lightly blushing Remus.

"Ah, Marls, you know how it is now, what with me shifting out of the dorms. Between uni and house hunting, I don't think I remember the last time I took a dump."

"Remuuuuuus," Marlene started sternly, arms crossed over her chest.

"I know, I know," Remus immediately replied, hands raised in a placating manner. "It's just stressing me out, you know? I promise I'm not doing it on purpose. As soon as I find a place, I'll take extra care of myself and even see you every other day."

Marlene just looked at him with a raised eyebrow causing Remus to hastily amend his words. "Fine, every day."

The purple haired girl shot him a triumphant look before hooking her arm around his and resting her head on his shoulder. "You know how I worry about you, Remus. You can't blame me, especially when you act like this."

Remus sighed but rested his head on hers. "I know, and I appreciate you for it. But, I can't help some things and this is one of them."

"You know I would take you in in a heartbeat if my step-dad wasn't such a bastard right? Hell, I would smuggle you into my room if I didn't think he was a creep who goes through it every day," Though her voice was muffled, her irritation at the situation was not. Remus' heart warmed at her words, knowing that she was being completely sincere and would genuinely offer him a place to stay if she could.

"It's okay, this isn't your fault," Remus tried to console her, knowing this was a weird role reversal and it should be the opposite.

"You're right," she growled. "It's that fucker Severus Snape's fault. Who even let him into the uni?"

"Hey now, you know it's no-" Remus tried to defend Snape, who quite honestly, did not deserve to be defended after what he had done(but that was just Remus) but was cut off quite viciously by Marlene.

"Don't. You. Dare," She enunciated through gritted teeth. "You know he was a complete bastard to you and you can't deny it. The guy framed you for illegal possession of drugs and got you kicked out of the dorms, for Christ's sake, Remus. You're lucky the uni didn't wash their hands off you after what he did."

Remus smartly stayed quiet as she ranted, sensing that this was a long time coming and there was nothing he could to stop her because it would only result in increasing her ire.

"As if his daily doses of torment wasn't enough, he fucked you up in the worst way possible. And don't even get me started on that disgusting Dean of yours, whatshisname-Dumbfucklore?- ' _Dumbledore,_ Remus interrupted only to be waved off by Marlene'- How many times is he gonna cover up for Snape's snotty arse? He's gonna keep bullying kids and be protected by the bearded goat and no one can do a bloody thing about it." Marlene finished with a violent huff, breathing deeply at the end of her long winded rant.

Remus knew he should be more affected by her words, especially the way she spoke about Professor Dumbledore, but he couldn't quite bring himself to disagree with her. In his first year, he had looked up to Professor Dumbledore with stars in his eyes because he was the one who had allowed him a place in the school despite his weak financial status. If not for him, Remus could very well have been homeless and dying on the streets. And yet, the more he got to know about him, the more conflicted he became. His actions directly contradicted the great words Remus had heard about this revolutionary man who had taken over the University in a whirlwind and helped many students throughout their life.

"Anyway," Marlene took a deep breath. "there's an ad right there, and from where I stand it looks pretty decent. Perfect, actually. So why aren't you 'hitting him up' right away?"

Remus blinked at the sudden change of topic and only when Marlene pointed at the flyer he was looking at just ten minutes prior did he understand what she was talking about.

"Ah, that," he mumbled. Marlene's practiced eyebrow raised slowly again at his unusual hesitance.

"It's not that I don't want that place, it's just that ad looks really fucking shady," Remus clarified, hoping she would be able to see what he was talking about and he wouldn't look like a paranoid idiot.

Alas, luck was not on his side because Marlene just gave him a deadpan look that told him  _exactly_ what she was thinking.

Instead of speaking, however, she whipped her phone out and glancing up at the flyer, typed out a text and sent it before Remus could so much as utter a protest.

"There," she grinned triumphantly. "Now we just have to wait for a time to look around and you'll be situated in a perfectly decent place in no time.

And again, before Remus could protest, she wrapped her hand around his and dragged him off to the coffee shop on the corner, prattling on about their new vanilla coffee that was to  _absolutely_ die for. Remus could only sigh in resignation as he allowed himself to be pulled by the petite girl.

* * *

"You need to get laid," James Potter deadpanned, looking pointedly at Sirius Black who was laying on the sofa with his head hanging upside down.

Sirius slowly raised his head sideways to look at the bespectacled man who was currently rifling inside the movie cabinet-  _Sirius' movie cabinet-_  looking for something to watch.

"Are you for real?" he drawled incredulously.

"What?" James demanded, hands clutching  _The Shawshank Redemption._ "I'm just offering a perfectly reasonable solution for your daily baseless whining."

"You're in  _my_ house, looking at  _my_ movie collection, eating  _my_ food and then have the audacity to call  _me_ a baseless whiner?" Sirius scoffed in disbelief. "I don't believe you."

James grinned, not ashamed in the slightest. "You know it's true, Pads, can't deny it. Ever since Pettigrew cheated on you, you've been  _moping_ around."

Sirius scowled at his best mate's words. "What Paige felt the need to do, it did not and does not affect me alright?"

James just gave him a knowing look before walking into the kitchen to check on the popcorn.

Sirius looked after him for a few seconds before dropping his head back down with a long suffering sigh. James was right, he couldn't deny what he said and he couldn't deny that Paige's actions still affected him. Her golden brown hair, light brown eyes, and tinkling laugh still haunted his dreams. Everywhere he turned in this dratted town he could see reminders of their two-year relationship. Even his own apartment felt alien to him now. Every single nook and cranny held memories of her and it drove him crazy.

"You're right," he reluctantly admitted when James walked back in with his arms full of snacks; popcorn, nachos and cotton candy.

Instead of looking smug as he usually would, James just nodded at him, probably knowing that it took a lot for Sirius to admit that.

"So what do you want me to do now?" he asked.

"Why, get a roommate of course!" James exclaimed. "I thought that was obvious."

Sirius' stared at him incredulously for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening.

James rolled his eyes at the other man. "Stop looking at me like that, Padfoot."

"You want me to put out an ad for a roommate who will unknowingly help me get laid because I'm pretty sure 'WANT SEX' would not go over well on it," Sirius deadpanned.

James sheepishly rubbed his neck. "It sounds worse when you put it like that."

"That's because it is, Prongs. It is that bad!" Sirius scowled.

"Alright, alright. Let me write the advertisement out, and I promise it won't have anything related to sex or needing to get laid or anything of the sort," James tried to negotiate but Sirius wasn't having any of it.

"No."

"Pads-"

"Prongs, I said no."

"But if you jus-"

"Nope."

"I have this great idea-"

"Not happening."

"Fine," James pouted. "You can write it."

Sirius grinned triumphantly at his small victory and grabbed a pen and paper off the coffee table next to him to write the advertisement out.

Fifteen minutes later, he had his advert written and ready. Just as he was getting up to go and get it printed into fliers, however, James snatched it out of his hand and announced that he was going to make some corrections to it.

As Sirius watched him ponder over a scrap of paper that had, at most, five lines written on it, he could do little more than shake his head in resignation, knowing he couldn't do anything until James was done.

The next day, the created masterpiece was a result of violent haggling at the photocopier that ended up with Sirius having to literally scratch out a couple lines  _that should never have been on an advertisement for a roommate_. Of course, the guy working there being the horribly overworked-and-underpaid college student he was, assumed the scratches to be a part of the final work and printed it out just like that.

Sirius had an internal scream session when he saw the hundred fliers and seeing the triumphant, gloating smirk on James' face did not help.

"Fuck off." Sometimes he felt that certain gestures conveyed much more than mere words ever could, frankly speaki


	2. The Sexy Housemate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all like this! 
> 
> Huge thanks to everyone who hit kudos for the last one and to theFearTakesHold and Lily_2015 for commenting :")

Marlene poked him violently in the side when he hesitated to knock on the door for the fourth time.

"Are you gonna knock or do I have to do that for you too?" she hissed.

Remus scowled lightly at her but rapped on the door with his knuckles nonetheless. Not ten seconds later the door was opened by a black haired, bespectacled man. A  _very attractive raven haired bespectacled man._

Remus blinked at the man who was currently looking at him with a confused, but lopsided, grin on his face.

"Yes?" The other man asked politely. His eyes roved over the two of them, stopping momentarily to take in Marlene beside him, who was dressed to impress just for the sake of this meeting. She grinned at him, causing him to immediately grin back at her.

That startled Remus into action who immediately started speaking in a nervous rush, "Uh-I-uh I'm Remus Lupin?" At the other man's blank look, he clarified. "I'm here for the vacant room?"

"Ahhh yes, yes." The black haired man said in recognition. "Please come in."

He held the door open for Remus and Marlene, shutting it with his foot when they had entered. He guided them towards the living room which was simply furnished, but Remus could see that it was dripping of wealth in an understated way. They sat on a midnight blue couch that felt well used and hesitantly looked around.

"I'm James," The man called out from the kitchen, before walking out with two glasses of water.

"Hey James! I'm Marlene, and well, you know Remus," Marlene replied before Remus could, gratefully taking the offered glass of water with a thankful smile and gulping it down in one go.

"You have a gorgeous house," she continued, but before she could say anything else, James violently shook his head.

"Oh no no no, this isn't my house. It belongs to my best mate, but he's taking a bath so I opened the door," he added at their looks of confusion.

Remus' brow cleared. "Ah, I see. So you stay here too?"

"Nope, I stay at this apartment near my university, this place is just too far for me," James explained. "Lord knows how Sirius makes the trips every day but it's not for me."

"What he's trying to say," a silky voice drawled from behind them, causing Remus and Marlene to turn around in alarm, " is that he's too lazy to travel five kilometres in the morning and therefore rented out a whole new place when there was a perfectly suitable room for him here."

Remus' mouth went dry at the sight in front of him. Leaning against the doorframe, clad in nothing but a plain black towel wrapped low on his hips and his sinfully delicious lips curled in a smirk, was the most attractive man Remus had ever seen. He was so painfully good looking that he made James (another one of the most attractive people Remus had seen) look like nothing. He had a tan, chiseled body, all hard ridges and planes, and a  _very_  defined v with a happy trail leading down into the towel. His face looked like it was carved by the gods themselves, with perfect cheekbones and a cut jaw. His raven colored hair, streaked with light subtle purple highlights, was shoulder length and seemed to make him even more attractive.

And even from where Remus was sitting, he could see that this newcomer had incredibly gorgeous eyes; a dark grey with shades of lighter grey swirling around it.

The man pushed himself off the doorframe and walked into the living room so he was in front of the stunned pair. Pushing strands of hair away from his face, he introduced himself. "Sirius Black."

Not surprisingly, Marlene didn't rush to introduce them this time, because when Remus looked her at her, she, quite predictably, had her eyes popping out almost comically and seemed a little incoherent.

He gulped hard, but still managed to introduce himself to..Sirius. "H-Hi. I'm Remus, this is Marlene. We're here, or rather, I'm here for the room?" He phrased it more as a question.

Before Sirius could say anything, however, James interrupted them. "Honestly, Pads, give the poor guys some space. And put your clothes on for fucks sake, will you? I've seen enough of that shit and I'm sure these guys don't want to."

Remus quite respectfully disagreed with that statement, he was quite sure he wanted to see. And judging by the slightly choked noise that came from beside him, Marlene did too.

His smirk not lessening at all, probably because he saw their reactions and could've guessed what they were thinking, Sirius merely nodded and went back through the door he came in, presumably to change. Remus chastised himself when he realized that he was actually sad at this prospect. He was then hit with a blush when his subconscious decided to cheerfully remind him that this would hopefully be a regular occurrence if he lived here.

"Anyway," James started, "please ignore that idiot. I swear he does that on purpose, just to bring a reaction out of people."

"Oh, we reacted alright," Marlene muttered under her breath, apparently feeling more coherent now. Unfortunately for her, James seemed to have heard her if the amused look on his face was any indication.

Marlene seldom got ashamed though, so she continued unabashedly in a louder voice, "I'm just happy I won't have to live alone, in close proximity, with that hunk of a man, to tell you the truth. I wouldn't be able to function, especially if he walked around half naked like that all the time. I don't know how Remus will."

"Marlene!" Remus hissed warningly, cheeks getting redder when he saw James biting down on his lip to stifle his laughter.

"Oh come on Remus, what is there to be ashamed of? You know it's true," she said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, well, still. You don't just say it like that," Remus argued.

"On the contrary, I would say you have to say it  _just_ like that," Sirius Black's voice reached their ears again, this time causing Remus to squeak in surprise.

He put a hand to his beating heart and turned to the offender with a scowl. "Can you please announce yourself first before scaring the living wits out of us?"

Sirius smirked. "Of course, my apologies." He didn't look very apologetic to Remus, if he was being honest. 

He then dragged a chair from the dining table (A personal dining table was a foreign concept to Remus at this point so he was pretty shocked he might be eating at one in the following days) and placed it in front of the couch.

Sitting himself down comfortably, he spoke, "So, you're here for the room, right? Can you just give me a quick rundown on where you're from and all that?" His voice was all business and the look on James' face told him it wasn't a regular occurrence.

Remus cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. So I used to stay on campus at Beckett University. I've been there for about two years, and my family lives in Wales, so pretty far away. But I uh got kicked out a week ago from the dorms, hence the urgent need for housing" The last part was spoken in an embarrassed mumble.

He saw Sirius' eyebrow raise in interest. "Beckett university, you say? James and I go there too, him more frequently than me, admittedly. I'm pretty sure we're a year younger than you are, though."

Remus' brow furrowed in confusion. That might be why he had never seen these two before because for being situated at the outskirts of such a slow town, the University sure had a lot of students. He wasn't even sure he knew all the kids in his year, let alone above or below him. There was also the fact that he was quite sure he would never forget a face as beautiful as this, and, to a lesser extent, James had he ever seen them before.

"Why did you get kicked out, though?" Sirius continued.

Remus flushed at his question but Marlene cut him over before he could reply, apparently thinking it was her duty to protect him from any form of hurt. "This asshole, Severus Snape, didn't like that Remus over here was such an angel and planted drugs and other contraband in his room and bag and called the Dean on him. Remus is lucky he didn't get put behind bars, or be expelled from Beckett."

"Snape?" James exclaimed from where he was leaning against the dining table. "You guys know him too?"

"Know him  _too?_ " Marlene growled just at the thought of him, "The fucker is the bane of Remus' existence. Hasn't left him alone for a second since he started at Uni."

"Huh. Guess it isn't just our lives he's fucking up," Sirius mused. "He has others on his radar too."

"Are you telling me he's messed with you too?" Marlene asked, surprised.

"Of course he has. We put him straight soon enough, of course, but I guess he didn't like that some people gave as good as they got and we've had an ongoing, let's call it a rivalry, for quite a long time now. I'm actually quite surprised you guys don't know about it, considering how many times we've had an actual, physical fight," James explained.

"So you guys are the reason he sometimes walks around with bruises and a darker than usual scowl on his face?" Remus asked in wonder.

"Oh, yes. Fucker doesn't know when to stop, so we keep going too," Sirius chimed in.

"Why does he have issues with you guys, though?" Marlene asked in confusion.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "James and I come from old families, so in lack of other terms, we're loaded. Our families have also donated enough to Beckett to have a wing named after their honor. James' family did it out of altruistic reasons, mine just wanted to be pretentious."

"It doesn't sit well with Snape that we come from the Potter and Black families because his mother used to be part of the Prince family, which was really affluent down south. But she lost everything when she married Tobias Snape. So from what I've gotten from our interactions, he's really bitter about that," he finished, leaving Remus and Marlene gaping at him.

"Yo-yo-you mean you're from THE Potter and Black families? The ones who've ruled over this part of the country for over five centuries?" Marlene, usually the cool and composed one, stuttered out.

"Oh, don't say it like that now," James groaned. "It's not like we can help it our families are stinking rich. And no one  _ruled_ over anything, that's just a gross exaggeration."

Remus could only blink rapidly as the realization of what was happening settled in. He, a dirt poor college student who was struggling to pay for bare necessities, was in the house of one of the richest, if not THE richest, people in their country. His face paled as he thought of how it would feel living there, and thoughts of getting up and leaving entered his mind as disastrous images assaulted his mind.

Before he could actually get up, however, a hesitant sounding voice broke through his panicked train of thought. "Um, this doesn't change anything right? I mean, it won't mean you've changed your mind about staying here, does it?"

Remus' eyebrows furrowed at..was that a slight quiver of worry he heard in Sirius' voice? Did he actually  _want_ Remus to stay?

"I-uh," Remus glanced at Marlene desperately, not knowing what to say.

And as usual, she swooped in to salvage the situation. "Oh no no, not at all. Remus is just a little confused why you'd want a roommate when it's not like you're having issues with the rent or anything."

Remus sent her a grateful look, immensely thankful that she knew him so well to make up a plausible reason. His eyebrows raised in astonishment, though, when Sirius Black, who had seemed supposedly unflappable until now, suddenly blushed a violent red. James, beside him, burst out in laughter at the question, causing the raven haired man to glare at him with murder in his eyes.

"He was just a little- _mphhhhhh_ ," James tried to speak but Sirius had swiftly gotten up from the chair he was sitting on and tackled him to the ground, covering his mouth with his hand and sitting on his stomach to quell his movement, though it certainly did not stop the bespectacled man from squirming around under him.

Marlene snorted beside him at the sight, causing Remus to let out a snicker as well. It  _was_ a hilarious sight, if he was being honest.

"Nice housemate you chose, Rem. Very interesting," Marlene commented with an amused smile on her face.

"Oh shut up, will you?" Remus demanded, but without any bite in his voice, for he had his own little smile on his face.

After Sirius had managed to get off a now thoroughly pissed James, who was randomly throwing his own punches at his laughing friend and complaining about being sore in places  _he_   _shouldn't be,_ Remus and Marlene, despite not originally planning to, spent the whole day lounging at Sirius' flat, just getting to know each other and having fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are very, very appreciated! They keep me going, even just a few words :")


	3. The Vivacious Redhead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this story will be 5 chapters, all of which is just waiting to be posted. 
> 
> There WILL be a sequel to this, because there are way too many loose ends, but I'm just thinking of whether I should post it with this one, or start a new story. We'll see, though. There's some time for that. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this, dont forget to leave a comment!

 

* * *

"So. You like Remus huh?" James commented the next day when Sirius walked into the kitchen to make himself a cup of green tea.

"I...do?" Sirius cautiously answered, suspicion leaking into his grey eyes.

James grinned, a triumphant look lighting up his face. "Good." And then promptly turned away to pour milk into his cereal.

Sirius blinked at his answer. It was too short and too smug for his taste. "What about it? You like him too right?"

James hummed. "He's pretty alright, yeah. And his friend, Marlene, was cool."

Now Sirius was beginning to get slightly alarmed. It wasn't like James to act like..this. He wasn't surprised he liked Remus or Marlene, the former being adorable and the latter having a very likable personality. What he was a little worried about was the gleeful expression James was currently sporting.

Looking at his best friend, however, realization suddenly dawned on him and he scowled in annoyance. "I swear to fuck, Prongs, if you're imagining us shagging, I will pour boiling water on you." To emphasize his point, he waved the kettle he had in his hand towards said man, who was looking at him sheepishly.

"Heh," James grinned, "nothing of that sort, Padfoot. Absolutely, remotely nothing." Sirius shot him another suspicious look before moving to the stove where he quickly whipped himself up an omelette.

"So, I was thinking," he started when the two of them were sitting at the table with their respective breakfasts in front of them, "we can clean that room a little bit today?"

"Which one?" James queried.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "The spare one, James. The one Remus will move into? He said he would move in at the quickest possible time, and while no one's used it, that room  _has_  been left untouched for months and is bound to be dirty."

Something flashed in James' eyes but it was too quick for Sirius to catch. He was distracted from thinking about it when James replied, "Ah yes, of course. Do you want me to call Lily? She can help us."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully. "I think that's a good idea, we'll get done with it quicker than if it was just the two of us and I can cook dinner tonight."

"If you're cooking, then you  _know_ she wouldn't be able to resist," James stated with an amused grin, "Let me just call her right now."

With that, he got up and picked up his phone from where it was lying on the kitchen counter and walked out into the living room where Sirius could hear him greeting Lily.

All alone now, Sirius' thoughts slowly drifted to the happenings of the day before. He hadn't quite expected Remus Lupin to be the way he was. He wasn't quite sure  _what_ he expected, but it definitely wasn't that.

He was an extremely good looking guy, no doubt, but more in the way where it kind of grows on you, which somehow makes it even more attractive. His light brown hair had been covered with a pale blue beanie and throughout the whole time they'd been talking, he had a sort of apologetic expression on his face. Why, he didn't know, but he was kind of looking forward to figuring out why.

He had a scar running across the bridge of his face, and another on the side of his neck and again, it somehow just made him more appealing. He was dressed in a cable knit sweater with skinny jeans and Sirius didn't think he had ever seen anymore rock them as well as he had. Even with the constant stuttering and frequent blushes, Sirius had become really interested in the man and he couldn't help but mentally thank James for proposing the idea of a housemate to him, even if he'd be caught dead before admitting it to him.

What really intrigued him was the way in which Remus interacted with those around him. As comfortable as he was around Marlene, one could still see the caution shining behind his warm hazel eyes. His hesitancy in speaking about himself, and his guarded nature somehow spoke to Sirius.

Of course, it also helped that he was as different from Paige as one could possibly be. If she was a boisterous, confident girl, then he was a silent, timid guy. Where she loved the latest trends and would go out of her way to wear the most outrageous outfits, he was still dressed in clothes his grandma would've scoffed at (not to say they didn't suit him, because damn, they did but no one could deny they would be more to the style of someone living at least a decade prior) and where she was a girl, he was a boy.

They were polar opposites, and though Sirius couldn't for the life of him figure out why he was comparing those two or why it mattered to him, he couldn't be happier about that little fact.

"So Lily was a little hesitant at first because she's drowning in Uni work, BUT as soon as I mentioned you would be cooking, she dropped everything and said she'd be here asap," James announced as he walked into the kitchen, slipping his phone into his pocket.

He sat down at his previous table and bringing a spoonful of cereal up to his mouth, continued, "I told you she would. I don't think anyone can resist your cooking." As soon as he ate some of the cereal, however, he made a face at it and pushed the bowl away in a clear indication of unhappiness.

Sirius snorted. "Did you really expect soggy cereal to taste any good?"

"Bugger off, I didn't realize it would be so bad," James scowled at him. "You're done with breakfast, shouldn't you be cleaning the room anyway?"

Sirius got up, holding his plate in one hand and the tea mug in the other, and let out a laugh at the grumpy expression on James' face. "Alright, alright. I'm leaving. No need to get salty about it."

He placed the plate and the mug in the dishwasher and with a salute to James, left for his room to get changed for when Lily would arrive and they'd start the cleaning. He was actually quite glad she was coming out to help because for one, there was too much work for them to do alone and two, she had been away at some psychology convention and he had really missed her. James did too, but he wasn't as prone to admitting it because those two had this electric kind of friendship where they were always at odds with each other. People often liked to remark they were dating, but they always laughed it off saying they were too much of polar opposites for a relationship to ever work.

They had known Lily since the first day of college where she had tried to awkwardly hit on Sirius and James on the same day, merely laughing it off when they confronted her. Over the years, they had fallen in love with her carefree, bubbly nature and they loved the fact that she didn't shy away from anything. She was confident, but modest enough that people were intimidated by her and quite contrary to her fiery red hair, she actually had a very muted temper and was more likely to give you the cold shoulder. Now, the three of them were quite close and were often found in the company of each other outside of Uni hours.

* * *

He was in the middle of marinating the chicken when the bell rang.

"James! Are you getting that?" he called out.

"Yeah, it's just"- the sound of a door opening reached his ears, - "Lily!"

Lily's high pitched voice reached the kitchen before she did and Sirius could only smile at the excited chattering James was being subjected to.

"It smells absolutely divine in here, Sirius," Lily said in lieu of greeting as she entered the kitchen with James at her heels. She was looking gorgeous in a crop top and dungarees, red hair up in a bun and her feet clad in a pair of old trainers.

"Thanks, love," The man in question smiled at her.

"I would hug you but-" He motioned towards his hands, which were covered in spicy marinade.

Lily just laughed and shook her head. "As long as I get to have the finished product, I'm not complaining."

"It says something about the quality of his food if you're willing to pass up an opportunity to hug him and feel all those rock hard abs, huh?" James teased from where he was leaning against the fridge.

"Yes well, if I have to choose, which is a very tough decision just so you know, I think the food would win," Lily winked at Sirius, who merely grinned. "The abs would always be there, the food, however, won't."

"Ah, Lily, how I have missed you this past week," Sirius confessed, moving towards the sink to wash his hands. "It really wasn't the same without you."

"I know, I know," Lily sighed. "I was dying at that convention. Lord knows why I was chosen to go there when I have the attention span of a toddler. I couldn't sit still for half a minute there, I tell you! And the guy speaking, oh my god. I could've gone there and done it better, he was that bad. I don't know where they get these people from because every year it just gets worse." Shaking her head at the end of her long winded rant, she moved towards Sirius so she could look at him properly.

Cupping his cheek, she gave him an appraising look. "Enough of that, though. How are you doing?"

Sirius smiled sadly, knowing where she was going with the abrupt change of topic. "I'm okay, slowly working through it. You know how these things are." He managed a weak shrug that convinced absolutely no one.

Lily looked at him with worried eyes and before he could say anything, she had moved forward and pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sirius melted into her arms, his own going to her waist.

They stayed in that position for a few seconds before James interrupted them. "Am I getting an invitation or do I have to be the awkward third wheel here?"

Lily laughed as she let go of Sirius. "You want a hug too, ickle Jamsie?"

James scowled at the nickname before promptly replying. "No, thank you. I'm all good."

"Your loss," Lily shrugged as she turned to go to the guest room that they'd be cleaning out.

Sirius shook his head at the antics of two of his closest friends before grabbing James in a headlock and dragging him out too, merely snickering when he tried to get out of it but failed.


	4. The Saucy Subconscious

Putting the box in his hands down on the ground, Remus felt a sense of Deja Vu as he lifted his hand up to knock on the same door he had been standing in front of two days ago.

The feeling only intensified when James opened the door with his signature everlasting grin on his face.

"Remus! Come in, come in," he opened the door wider to accommodate the huge box Remus was carrying with him. The brown haired man gave him a small smile and entered the house, placing the box in the corner James pointed to, letting out a small sigh of relief as he did.

As he was cracking his back, James asked, "Tea, coffee or vodka?"

Remus blinked at his question. And then blinked again. "Come again?"

James' grin intensified as if he expected the question. "Vodka is sort of a staple in this house, along with beer, wine, and whiskey. And since you're now moving into the place, you'll have unlimited access to them."

"I-I don't-I mean-I," Remus was trying to explain that that would  _not_  be necessary but his stutter wasn't helping. He took a deep breath and tried again, "If you give me such an offer, I'm afraid that I, as an overburdened and underpaid college student, would turn into a raging alcoholic by the end of the month."

The black haired man barked out a laughter at his words, seeming to agree with him but before he could speak, Sirius entered the room, phone in hand and hair up in a bun that seemed to only enhance his features.

He looked up just as Remus looked at him and his lips curled up into his usual smirk.

"Morning," he greeted in his silky voice.

"M-orning," Remus stuttered out.

"You all ready to move in?"

"Oh, yeah. I can't wait to sleep in an actual bed after so long," As soon as he said it, Remus' cheeks heated up but thankfully, no one commented on it.

"Marlene isn't here?" James asked curiously, looking towards the front door as if expecting her to dance right in.

"She has work, so she said she'll be here around 3?" Remus explained. "Uh, where do I keep this box? There's more where it came from."

Sirius snorted at his words, causing him to smile faintly. "Just through there on the right. That should be your room and yours alone."

"Which means that you  _can_ kick Sirius out of there if he's being horribly intrusive," James chimed in causing Sirius to smack him on the back of the head. James retaliated by grabbing the other man's hand and twisting it around his back.

Somehow, even though he'd only known them for three days, Remus had become used to their friendship and their banter and therefore didn't pay it any heed. He merely lifted the box with a huff and walked in the direction of his new room.

He was a little apprehensive when he nudged the door open with his foot. It was a little weird that he hadn't seen the room when he first came to this place (with the intention of checking the place out) but after he had talked to James and  _Sirius_ he didn't quite care what state the room could be in because they had seemed like genuinely nice people and he started liking them already by that point. When the door opened, he couldn't quite see the room until he had put the box down but when he did, oh man. His jaw went slack at the sight of the room that would be his for an indefinite period of time.

It was huge. Well, coming from an ex-college dorm student who had to share with two others, that wasn't saying much, but by all standards, it was  _h u g e._

There was a sort of bay window on one side, with a comfortable sitting space where he could imagine being curled up with a mug of hot chocolate ( _with a shot of that ever present vodka,_ his traitorous mind supplied but he quickly shook that train of thought away) and a good book.

There was a big king sized bed in the middle, with a light grey comforter (his mind immediately flashed to Sirius' gorgeous eyes) and the walls were painted a pastel blue with one wall a dark grey. There was a huge walk in closet on one side and another door beside it, which he presumed led to the bathroom.

The whole room was understated in the way he had come to think of James and Sirius as. One could see it was a very expensive room, but it didn't you right in the face. For example, there was a painting on one wall that just looked like any common artsy piece but Remus knew that it was an exclusive piece that had been auctioned for over two thousand dollars. The wardrobe had gold borders, not in a gaudy way, but in a way that highlighted the mahogany.

Overall, Remus fell in love with it and he absolutely could not understand how he had managed to obtain such a steal at such a low price.

"Is it to your satisfaction?" A voice came from behind him, making him jump.

"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed, one hand over his heart. "Did I not tell you to announce yourself before you scare the shit out of me?"

It was actually kind of funny how he forgot all his nervousness when it came to situations like this because normally, he'd be a stuttering, panicking mess if in close quarters with someone like Sirius who was as intimidating as he was good looking.

"Again, my apologies," he apologized smoothly, though not looking very repentant at all. In fact, he looked quite amused.

"It's-It's okay," Remus stuttered out, cursing himself in his head for messing up such a simple phrase. "And I love the room, it's absolutely gorgeous!"

Sirius smiled, a genuine smile that Remus hadn't seen before in any of their handful interactions. It was always a smirk or a scowl or something else, never a smile. It made him look quite handsome, actually. More so than usual.

"I'm glad," Sirius stated. "This room has been vacant ever since Paige-"

He abruptly stopped, his face losing the smile and making Remus quite worried. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh-what? Yeah, yeah it's cool," The other man replied absentmindedly, his grey eyes glazed over, making it seem like he was stuck in a memory or something.

Remus gave him a minute to compose himself but when nothing happened and he was still stuck in that emotionless trance, he used his hand to give his shoulder a good shake. Thankfully, it worked and the glaze vanished from his eyes.

Remus let out a quiet sigh of relief at Sirius returning back to his usual self.

"Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to get anything for you? Maybe some water or something?" he fretted over Sirius once he was sure he wasn't going to go back to that state. For a second it seemed like he was the owner of the house and Sirius, the guest.

"I-uh, no it's really okay," Sirius shook his head, "that was just a, uh, it doesn't happen regularly or even sometimes. It was a one off. So you don't need to worry about it." He managed a shaky smile in Remus' direction but both of them knew it didn't do anything.

Remus wisely chose not to mention anything, though. Instead, he changed the subject. "I don't think I can thank you enough for providing me with such a beautiful room, and at such a low price too. It's a godsend, truly."

Sirius smiled again, albeit a small one, but this time it was a genuine one and Remus could see the gratitude swirling in his eyes. "But, of course, Remus. It's no problem. I'm actually happy you're staying here, to be honest. For one, this room was perpetually empty and secondly, now I won't be all alone. Whenever James isn't here, which isn't frequent but still happens time and again, I'm bored out of my wits. I know I won't be any more now that you're here now!"

His little speech made Remus smile really hard and he made sure Sirius saw it because he was really not good with words of gratitude.

"Oi, Pads?" James suddenly called out from the other room.

Sirius raised one finger, telling him to wait, before shouting back, "I'm coming!"

He turned to look at Remus sheepishly, causing him to laugh. "Go! It's okay."

Sirius flashed him a huge smile, causing Remus to marvel at how different he looked now than just a minute ago, and ran out the room to where James was, presumably, calling him for help with the food.

Remus had come to learn that Sirius was a pro at cooking, and managed all the culinary activities around the house. Apparently, it was also the reason why James was almost always at Sirius' place, despite having one of his own; to obtain nourishment, seeing as he couldn't make breakfast that was more complex than plain 'ol cereal. (Sirius' words, not his)

He turned around with the intent to unpack the first box he had brought which was filled with all the clothes he owned. Looking around the room as he filled the humongous closet with the few clothes he had, he let a small smile flutter on his lips. Despite all the crap that happened, he was..happy. Yes, Snape had made his life hell and almost ruined his chance at graduating college, but in the end, he  _hadn't_ been expelled and he had found a great set of people that he could really see himself becoming good friends ( _and maybe more,_ his damned sub conscious whispered saucily) with them.


	5. The Funky Nicknames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so, this part is only up because it's been pre written and ready to be posted for about a week, because I haven't been able to touch my laptop due to exams. 
> 
> Also, I've decided to post the sequel, or Part 2, in this story only. The only reason I've divided this into parts is because A. I ended up writing way more than I initially thought (this was actually supposed to be a one-shot) and B. I need some time to finish the second part before posting it because I don't want another AER-like situation with that, so until that is ready, this will be marked complete.

“I was talking to Remus, dumbass,” Sirius hissed as he walked into the kitchen. “You could’ve waited!” 

 

“And let the gravy burn?” James asked with a raised eyebrow. “I think not.” 

 

“Plus, I’m not sorry I pulled you away from your boyfriend. You’re gonna have loads of alone time with him in the future.” 

 

Sirius scowled at him but refused to comment since the gravy  _ truly  _ was on the verge of burning so he quickly rushed over to the stove, turned the heat down and stirred the mixture around.

He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that nothing had burnt on the bottom and kept the heat on low as he turned around. 

 

“What’s your plan now? Are you staying?” he asked James. 

 

“Are you that eager to get me out of the house now that lover boy is here?” James pouted, with a hand on his heart. “I’m hurt, Pads, I really am.” 

 

Sirius growled, “I swear to fuck, Prongs…” 

 

“Alright, alright, I give,” James hastily replied. “I think I’ll have to leave, though. I have some research to do.” 

 

Sirius nodded in understanding. “Wait til the food’s done and I’ll pack some up for you. Lord knows you’ll only have ramen if I don't.” He eyed James’ reproachfully when the other man just grinned sheepishly at him. 

 

Half an hour later, the stew was done and packed for James to take and was currently saying goodbye to Remus. 

 

“Well, sadly, it’s time for to deprive you two of my wonderful company,” he started solemnly, “but alas, duties are calling.” 

 

Sirius gave him a deadpan look, at which he cracked up but calmed down pretty quickly after, turning to Remus. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I’m kind of really glad you’re moving in so that I don’t have to look after this idiot so much now. It was nice meeting you!” 

 

Remus smiled shyly. “It was nice meeting you two.” 

 

“It’s not the end of the world, you guys’ll see each other tomorrow,” Sirius snapped irritably, “Idiot.” 

 

James snickered at the look on his best mate’s face, knowing it was because he was getting hungry and a hungry Sirius was always a cranky Sirius. He was remarkably similar to toddlers and puppies in that way, come to think of it. 

 

“Okay, okay, I’m leaving,” James laughed, his hands held up in a placating manner, “See ya, Padfoot!” 

 

Sirius just nodded at him and closed the door as he left. Turning to Remus, he said, “Sorry I get a little annoyed when I’m hungry. You don’t mind if I eat dinner a little early, do you?”

 

Remus immediately shook his head, “Oh no no, in fact, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll join you too. Never knew packing took so much out of you.” 

 

Sirius smiled. “I was the same way when I moved out of my parents’ house, slept for a whole day afterward. I mean, getting away from them was worth it, but still.” 

 

Remus just nodded, not knowing what to say to that, but Sirius quickly picked up on his awkwardness. “I’m sorry, I have a habit of saying things without a filter. Just a little heads up, I don’t have a pleasant relationship with my family, so you’ll probably be hearing a lot of offhand comments like that.” 

 

Remus nodded slowly, “Ookay, sure.” 

 

Sirius motioned for him to sit at the table and when he protested, saying he could help as well, he just replied saying that it was his first night and he should get to relax after such a tiring day. He shut up after that, knowing the last part was true.

 

As he sat at the table, idly drawing on the knitted cover and wondering where it came over, Sirius came back with the container of stew in his hands. Remus took a deep breath as the smell wafted into his nostrils and we wondered, not for the first time, where the other man had learnt to cook so well, especially after the recent revelation that he wasn’t on good terms with his family. 

  
  


Sirius looked over at what he was doing and smiled softly. “Prongs’ parents gifted that to me the day I moved in, among many things. In a lot of ways, they were my parents ever since Prongs and I sat beside each other on the bus, first day of middle school.” 

 

Remus bit his lip as he looked at Sirius, who seemed lost in memories, but in a good way this time. Instead of carrying this conversation forward, however, he asked something that had been nagging him for a while now. 

 

“Why do you call him Prongs? Is there a story behind it?” he asked curiously, noticing Sirius’ eyes light up with humor as he did. 

 

“Ah, yes, there is. Prongs might kill me if I told you, but,” he shrugged nonchalantly, “that’s what I live for.” 

 

“You live so that he can kill you?” Remus asked in an incredulous voice. 

 

Sirius smiled sheepishly as he thought over his previous words. “Heh, guess I didn’t really think that one through.”

 

“Anyway, we were in eighth grade and we were having a play. It was on Greek Mythology and itty bitty James was assigned the role of Poseidon.”

 

“I think I can sense where this is going…” Remus trailed off. 

 

Sirius grinned and continued his tale. “So it was the D-day, I was in the crowd since I have absolutely no acting talent, unlike James, who's an absolute god at it, excuse the pun.” 

 

“He was on stage, completely in his element. Towards the end, there was this scene where he had to reach behind him and pick up the trident that was placed just behind the curtain. He had done it tons of times, and could do it in his sleep but some idiot had moved it so he was basically just blindly groping behind him.”

 

“Now, everyone was staring at him, waiting for him to do something and in his haste, he turned around so quickly that he slipped and fell right on top of two spikes on the trident. Luckily, it was made of plastic so it didn’t hurt too bad but he had to live with the name ‘Prongs’ thereafter.” 

 

Remus snorted in laughter when Sirius finished his story, feeling slightly bad about taking pleasure in James’ misery and humiliation but felt much better when Sirius laughed right alongside him. “I can’t imagine how bad it must’ve been for him. And to think, everyone called him Prongs as a reminder afterwards! Gosh, I would’ve been horrified.” He shook his head, just thinking about it made him cringe. 

 

Sirius wiped away a tear that had escaped during his laughter. “Ah, not exactly everyone. After the first couple times, no one other than me had the guts to call the great, intimidating James Potter ‘Prongs’.”

 

Remus gaped soundlessly at the raven haired man. “ ‘The great, intimidating James Potter?’ Are we talking about the same person here?” 

 

Sirius smirked, “Don’t forget, Remus, that James IS the heir to the Potter family. That, and he was scary in his own right. Just because he’s usually cheerful and carefree doesn’t mean he couldn’t make you pee your pants. Even in 8th grade” He winked at the end. 

 

“Huh,” Remus thought back to the James he had interacted with over the past couple days, but couldn’t reconcile that image to the one Sirius was currently painting. 

 

“I remember, there was this one time just a week after the incident, where there was this random guy who walked by us in the hallway and just went, ‘hey prongs!’ with this smug smirk on his face. James just looks at him with a very dark glare on his face and after a while, the other guy just deflated and slunked away with a meek ‘sorry’. We had a blast out of it afterwards, and no one ever tried calling him Prongs again.” Sirius sighed in bliss as he remembered those times

 

Remus gasped in horror, “You guys are terrible! That poor kid.” 

 

Sirius scoffed, “There was nothing ‘poor’ about that kid, I tell you. Timothy Jones was an asshole of the greatest degree. The only reason he said hi was because he wanted to embarrass James. He’d been annoying us the whole year. Plus, it’s not like James hit him or something, he just glared at him.” He shrugged as if everything was solved, causing Remus to shake his head in exasperation. 

 

“Well,” Remus started hesitantly, “why does he call you Padfoot then? Is there a funny story behind that too?” 

 

Sirius’ cheeks flushed a little but he paid no heed to it. Something Remus learnt about his housemate was that he was very rarely ashamed of anything and would rather just come out in the open with something than keep it hidden and tucked away just because it was embarrassing.

 

“It was eighth grade again,” Sirius began, before pausing with a speculative look on his face, “You know, come to think of it, eighth grade really was quite happening.” 

 

Remus scoffed, “Eighth grade for me was the epitome of everything that made school the human version of Hell.” 

 

Sirius looked curious at that but decided to ask him to elaborate on that sometime later, instead continuing with his story. “We were at Mark Hans’ house, playing Truth and Dare. The number stopped on me and of course, me being me, I decided to choose dare. Everyone started snickering and that’s when I understood they had pre-chosen the dares. Prongs, the fucker that he is, didn’t tell me of this little fact and was sniggering away to high hell right beside them. I got my revenge on him the next day though,” he added with a pleased look in his eyes, making Remus roll his eyes. 

 

“Really, Sirius?” he asked in exasperation, “Revenge?” 

 

Sirius wagged a finger in his direction. “You would never know what it feels like to run around your friend’s neighborhood with only a bra wrapped around your feet, so shush.” 

 

Remus blinked. “Come again?” 

 

Sirius grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, the dare was that I had to sneak into Mark’s mom’s room, grab one of her padded bras, wrap them around my feet in such a way that each foot was covered by each cup, and then sprint in front of his house like that. It was a hideously elaborate and a fucking mastermind of a plan that they had spent days working on.” 

 

Remus gaped at him like a fish out of water. “I-I-I- _ what?”  _

 

Sirius sniggered at the dumbfounded look on the other man’s face. “It’s exactly what you just heard, no exaggeration and no kidding. That day onward, James started calling me Padfoot, because each of my foot was padded. Thought he was a fucking genius for coming up with that name.” He shook his head at the memory of James going around chanting ‘Padfoot, Padfoot, Padfoot’ behind him for the next whole week after that particular incident. 

 

After a while of soundless gaping, Remus shook his head. “You know what? I’m not even going to try and understand your middle school experience. It’s way too weird for an ‘ol public school student like me, trying to understanding your private school eccentricities.” 

 

Sirius grinned, unashamed, but didn’t say anything else. They ate in silence for a few minutes, not thinking about anything in particular.

 

“This stew is really fucking good, by the way,” Remus, who was not a fan of silence, suddenly blurted out, before blushing at his use of profanity. He was in the habit of swearing a lot, but he didn’t want to offend his new housemate. 

 

Sirius laughed, a pleased look in his eyes. “Thanks! It’s Mrs. P’s recipe. She taught me most of what I know, said that at least one of her sons should know how to cook.” Well, at least that answered the question of how he knows how to cook so well, Remus thought. He could see how happy he looked though, Remus assumed it was because Mrs. Potter had referred to him as her son. 

 

“So,” Remus started, breaking off a piece of bread, “what’s your favorite dish to cook?” 

 

Sirius hummed in thought as he brought his own spoonful of stew to his lips, licking them after, drawing Remus attention to them. He quickly looked up before he was caught staring at things he shouldn’t be staring at. 

 

“I’m not sure there’s one  _ specific  _ dish I like to cook more than others. I do love baking, and just desserts in general though. I’ve been told my dark chocolate mousse is utterly orgasmic,” he winked at Remus, causing his cheeks to darken at the heat in those grey eyes. 

 

Unable to keep up the eye contact anymore, he quickly looked down and without thinking, swallowed a spoonful of hot stew. 

 

“Ag-A-Ow!” he hissed, sticking his tongue out in an effort to cool the burn. A glass of water soon entered his vision and he blindly grabbed it and downed it in one go. A sigh of relief left his mouth when the cool water effectively reduced the burn. 

 

When the burning had subsided to a manageable tingle, he looked up at Sirius with burning cheeks. The other man was biting his lip, looking like he was stifling laughter. But he could see worry flickering in his grey eyes as well. 

  
  


“Go on, laugh it up,” Remus grumbled. “I know you want to.” 

 

A snicker escaped Sirius but he quickly covered his mouth with his left hand.

“No, I own ont oo,” he spoke in a weird muffled voice. Remus just shot him a confused look. 

 

Sirius rolled his eyes slightly but removed his hand and spoke again, “No, I don’t want to.” He made sure to enunciate each word properly this time and the exaggerated way in which he said it made  _ Remus  _ roll his eyes. 

 

“I’m sure,” Remus drawled. 

 

Sirius stuck his tongue out but got up with his plate in hand. “You want me to take yours?” He gestured towards Remus’ plate, which had been empty for the past five minutes. Remus was about to say  _ no, I’ll take it,  _ when Sirius looked at him really pointedly. After that, he just silently passed his plate over to a triumphant looking Sirius Black. 

 

“Just you wait,” he mumbled under his breath. 

 

“What was that, sweetheart?” Sirius smirked, with a hand cupping his ear. 

 

Remus stuck his tongue out and turned around. He could hear Sirius’ snickers leaving the room. 

 

* * *

 

Later that night, Sirius was sitting on the table, sheets spread around him and a pen holding his hair up in a bun. He had a cup of steaming green tea beside him, and a look of utter concentration on his face. 

 

“Hey,” Remus said as he walked over to where Sirius was sitting. 

 

“Ello!” Sirius replied, looking up to shoot him a quick smile before going back to his work. 

 

“Uni?” Remus asked knowingly. 

 

“Ah yes. I love doing it, but sometimes the sheer amount of it is just..mind boggling,” Sirius explained. 

 

Remus nodded, understanding what he meant. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” 

 

“Thanks,” Sirius smiled. “Don’t be worried if you see a light here past midnight, though, yeah? I like to work late, so I usually go to sleep ‘bout 1 or 2 am.” 

 

Remus wanted to comment on how that was not good for his health, but felt like it wasn’t his place to do so, only knowing him for just three days. Therefore, he just nodded and with a ‘goodnight’ walked back to his room. 

 

Quickly changing into his pyjamas, which was a just a pair of ratty old sleep tracks and a worn band shirt, he climbed onto the bed, almost moaning when he sank down into it. As someone who had been sleeping in dormitory beds that hadn't been changed in  _ years,  _ this felt almost forbidden to him. The silk sheets around him felt luxuriously soft to an extent he had never felt before, and by the time he had started nodding off, he was wrapped up to his eyes in the cozy comforter,  a cheshire grin on his face even as he slept. 

 

Life wasn’t bad. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO much, for all your support and comments. 
> 
> rebelsaurus29, Lily_2015, theFearTakesHold, CandyMind- I cannot appreciate you guys enough for your comments and encouragement and continued interest, it's because of you that I've been able to finish this off so quickly, so thank you.


	6. The Dysfunctional Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back with the second part of this :") It's fully written and should hopefully remain that way because I have a habit of re-writing and deleting things :3 
> 
> This part is somewhat different to the first, it has quite a bit of backstory for both our characters, and just yeah. I still hope y'all enjoy it! 
> 
> Feel free to leave any sort of constructive criticism, it's always appreciated.

Remus yawned as he walked into the living room, rubbing his bleary eyes at the same time. It was around 3 am and he had gotten up when he heard a crash outside. Cursing his extremely sensitive hearing, he had gotten up and not even bothering to wear a t-shirt, walked out to see what happened. He knew it couldn't have been an intruder, the crazy security at the place a huge deterrent, and that it was definitely Sirius because in the five months Remus had been here, the raven-haired man had, without fail, stayed up late til 4 am at the very at least, despite his daily assurances he would sleep earlier.

He had soon learnt that no amount of subtle hints alluding to the side effects of such habits could do anything and that nothing short of a direct intervention or confrontation would do anything. He still wasn't comfortable in saying anything directly though, so he stayed mostly quiet regarding his roommate's nocturnal habits.

"Sirius?" he called out as he stepped into the room.

Sirius' head swivelled around to face him from where he was standing near the door. He had an envelope in his hand and around his feet were shards of broken glass. His grey eyes were stormy and raging, and his fingers were clenched and trembling around the paper in his other hand. Even from where he was standing, he could see that Sirius' knuckles were white from how tightly he was holding the paper.

"Ar-Are you okay?" he ventured hesitantly, worried but not knowing what to do. He had never quite seen Sirius angry. He was always pleasant and affable, never even being so much as annoyed with him in the almost half year they'd been living together.

But now Remus could see that he was  pissed.

"No," Sirius answered shortly.

Remus bit his lip, debating with himself on whether he should continue or just go back to his room and give Sirius some space. One look at the shaking man in front of him, however, made up his mind.

He walked to the kitchen with a determined stride and quickly set about making tea for both of them. Not two minutes later, he was walking out with two steaming mugs in his hands.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked Sirius, offering one mug to him.

He could see the raven-haired man about to decline his offer, maybe even shout at him, but at the last moment, his shoulders slumped and he nodded. He stepped out of the circle of broken glass, which Remus had resolved to ask him about, and took the mug from his outstretched hand with a tiny grateful smile.

He then moved back to sit on the armchair behind him, pulling his leg up and tucking it under him, nestling the mug between his hands. The envelope and the letter were discarded on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

Remus himself sat down on the couch, which had become his favorite piece of furniture over the months, the old worn couch providing a sense of familiarity and safety to him in this strangely aristocratic house.

For the next few minutes, they sat in complete silence, only the sound of the occasional sipping could be heard. Finally, Sirius spoke,

" My family is made up of a bunch of power hungry, corrupt and greedy bastards. They care about their image more than their relationships, and they would sacrifice their first born if they felt it had a worthy political and social advantage. I like to say that the fabled 'Black Madness' actually exists and affects  everyone . In every generation of Black kids, there is one person who seems to get the worst of it somehow. Bellatrix is the one in mine and my mother the one in hers. They're fanatic, obsessive creatures, ready to chew you out and spit you on the side of the road if you don't conform to their standards."

Remus wanted to say something, all of this shocking to him due to the nature of Sirius' family, but he held his tongue knowing that Sirius needed to release all that he had bottled up inside. It was the least he could to thank him for all his hospitality, and furthermore, he was genuinely concerned and wanted to help him in any way he could. So he listened silently as Sirius continued,

"They're aristocratic to the highest degree, my family. My mother is the biggest proponent of the ideals of royalty, tradition and culture. She views our family as 'pure' due to our ancestry. We've only ever married into the aristocracy of England, Scotland and Ireland. She's such a fanatic that she even disapproved of my friendship with James despite him coming from such a high standing family himself because the Potters have never believed in such antiquated notions of living."

"She wanted me to go down the same route. Get married to a nice, conservative, Christian girl from a neighboring family and beget three perfect kids for her. She's always wanted me to abide by her rules, but I've never done so. Ever since I entered middle school, I've not been even remotely interested in the bullshit she's always spewing, and I went my own way. Tattoos, motorcycles, long hair, all of this is essentially taboo in our household but look at me." Here he spread his arms wide, with a self-deprecating chuckle.

"They're even the reason why I sleep so late. Nighttime in my household was the only time I could get some quiet and peace, and maintain some form of normalcy. I guess forcing yourself to sleep at 3,4 am every day for so long does have an effect on you." He laughed again, but there was no humor in it this time either. Remus was coming to learn that the Black heir used humor as a form of defence quite often, using it cover up any feelings of bitterness, sadness or anger.

"I moved out as soon as I hit 18. Every Black child has a separate inheritance from birth that their parents can't touch. It was a provision some ancestor made because he recognized that Blacks were absolute assholes who would disown their own children for their gain. So, I used that fund and bought this place. Now I have a job, I'm paying for my tuition with my own money and I'm studying alongside James and Lily. I couldn't be happier," he explained with a fond smile on his face.

"Then what happened today?" Remus blurted out, not quite able to control himself. Sirius smiled, a hollow movement of his lips that sent slight shivers up Remus' spine.

"Mother dearest sent a letter. I've blocked her on all the devices I own, and I guess it doesn't help that she takes some sort of weird pleasure it writing letters, complete with a wax seal. It's a bi-yearly habit of hers. Sending letters with all the most creative insults she could think of to get me to come back. It rankles her to no end that I don't."

Remus blinked. He had sort of expected this but it still shook him. "Well, have you ever tried telling her that you don't wanna settle just yet? That you're too young? Maybe that could work."

Sirius laughed, amused, bitter. He looked Remus straight in the eye. "Remus, I'm bisexual with a preference for guys. The former was enough to cast me away, the latter cemented it. The old lady wants me to come back because she's pissed that she didn't get to disown me and burn me off the family tree before I got away. It hurt her ego, her Black pride."

Remus' throat suddenly went dry, despite the half-full mug of tea in his hands. Sirius was bisexual? With a preference for guys? He took a sip of the tea and gulped, trying to wet his throat.

"Uh-I, what was in the letter then? Just insults?" he asked instead, nodding towards the item on the coffee table. He chose not to say anything about his bisexuality. This wasn't the time for it, anyway.

Sirius leaned back in the armchair, eyeing him speculatively, before he pursed his lips. "Well, there was an order for me to come home and look at some random duchess of some town somewhere for marriage. Wrote a letter telling her to fuck it, I'll post it tomorrow."

Remus choked on his tea when he heard the other man so casually say the last line. "Yo-You didn't actually write fuck it, did you?" he asked cautiously.

"Sure I did," Sirius replied, smirking. "It's the only thing she deserves."

"Still," Remus said, "I can't imagine ever being to even think of writing fuck it to my mum, let alone actually doing it." He shuddered at the thought of what his mother would do to him should he ever do something like that.

Sirius raised his mug in Remus' direction as if it was a toast. "And I hope you never do, either. You'd need to have an exceptionally shitty relationship with her to be able to do it."

"Now, if it was Mrs P, that would be a completely different matter altogether and something that you'd understand better," Sirius mused. "Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could think a single unfavorable thing about her."

Remus slowly nodded, although his mind was still whirling with questions. He wanted to ask him so many things but he wasn't quite sure he was welcome to, or even if he would be able to piece his thoughts together in coherent sentences. The knowledge that one of the most high profile families this side of the continent had such a messed up family dynamic wasn't something you came across every day.

Sirius smirked at him, knowing what he wanted to do but didn't say anything further. He gazed at Remus with an intrigued look in his eyes, his grey eyes burning with something he couldn't quite identify. Something in his gaze, though, and the way his eyes raked over his body was making him self-conscious.

With a start, he realized that he was shirtless and all his scars were on clear display. A panicked feeling spread through his body at the thought of Sirius, with his perfect, unblemished body, looking at his chest and maybe even judging him. He was just about to make an excuse and retreat to his room when Sirius spoke up.

"Will you tell me about them?" he nodded towards the crisscross of faded white scars in Remus' otherwise tanned chest.

Remus took a deep breath. He wanted to tell him, wanted to let it out, but he had kept it inside him so long that he didn't quite know how to go about it. He released the breath and just decided to go for it.

"I'm gay," he blurted out. Sirius' eyebrows raised high at that but he refrained from commenting, letting Remus continue at his own pace.

"My dad is quite….homophobic," he admitted quietly, the lump in his throat growing bigger with each passing second. He had never mentioned this to anyone but Marlene before, and even she knew just the passing basics of it, never the details.

" He thinks it's unnatural,  unacceptable , well, he's even gone as far to publish articles on why homosexuality is a sin, and how we're straying further away from the path of God by accepting them and letting them live among us when they should  clearly  be removed from society," he continued, a scowl now forming on his face as he remembered his father ranting about it almost every week when he read the newspaper and saw LGBT positive news. Remus, who had still not come out, would be cringing in the seat, trying to make himself as small as he could, trying to hide from his father's line of sight.

"He didn't really know..about..me until about two years ago," he spoke haltingly, as if afraid of something. What, he didn't really know. "I didn't want him to find out, but it happened so suddenly and so quickly I didn't quite know how to react."

"We were never really close, he was far too radical and extreme for me, far too narrow-minded and set in his ways. I was always attached to my mom. Two years ago, when I was home on Easter break, my dad and I got into this huge fight over something that seems so insignificant now that I can't even remember," he scoffed, amazed at how things that seemed like the center of your existence at one point ceased to matter even a bit in time, so much so that you couldn't even recollect memories of it.

" But, I remember shouting at him that  I didn't care anymore  and that I was much more happy being with my boyfriend than I was at home. I remember the silence that fell over the house, it was..almost deafening. He didn't seem upset, or shocked. He was just angry, he was  so angry,  and I remember actually being scared of him in that moment," he looked up at Sirius, who had a troubled look in his eyes, "I had always disliked him, Sirius, but never had I been afraid of him, even when he spewed his anti-LGBT vitriol, and never had I been as worried for  myself  as I had been in that moment when he looked at me, his own son, with hate burning in his eyes and his fingers clenching with anger. I had known my sexuality for over 3 years at that point and I grew up in a very rigid Catholic area, one that had it's own notions of morality and what's right and what's wrong, ready to ostracise anyone who didn't according to their rules and yet I had never been as afraid of what would happen to me as I was then."

" He left the room, and I was so confused, but also so relieved because I thought he wouldn't do anything. But I was wrong, I was  so  wrong. He came back with his belt in hand, and-and he-he-he.."

He broke off there, taking a deep shuddering breath. His mug was discarded on the side, and his head was in his hands, elbows on his knees. He took another breath, trying to calm himself down. Images of his father screaming at him, calling him names, holding his belt flashed in front of his eyes. His mother cowering in a corner, hands over her ears, trying to block out the noise. Their neighbors checking up on them with false concern, merely wanting to insert their nose into the affairs of yet another broken family. All of this came back to him in rapid succession and for one terrifying minute, he felt like he couldn't breathe.

Suddenly, he felt a warm hand on his back, rubbing circles, anchoring him. He realized he had his eyes tightly shut, causing some tears to leak out. His jaw was quivering with how tightly it was clenched. He took one last deep breath, coming back to himself.

He had never told this to anyone, ever. His scars were something he was highly ashamed of, it was a reminder of what he was and his father had made sure that he hated who he was. He tried, really hard, but it was not easy for him to break free of his father's cruel words.

"Breathe, Remus," Sirius' voice reached his ears, surprisingly soothing. "You're not there, you're here, in your own apartment and your father is not here."

Remus nodded as the words settled in his brain. He hollowed his cheeks in as he tried to calm his shaking body. He hadn't had a panic attack in a long time, the last time being a year ago when he had seen his dad. He hadn't seen him ever since, self-preservation winning out over anything and everything else. '

When he felt like he had gotten himself under control, he looked up at Sirius, too tired to feel embarrassed or ashamed, especially after everything Sirius told him about himself. He took comfort in the fact that he wasn't the only one with a fucked up family life, as twisted as that was.

"Th-Thank you," he said quietly. "I'm sorry you had to see that, it's never been that bad this past year."

Sirius gave him a deadpan look, hand still rubbing circles on his back and shoulder. "There is absolutely no need to apologize, Remus. I truly can understand what it's like, and why you had the reaction you did." At that, he shot a  very  meaningful look in his direction, and when Remus understood what he was trying to say, he gasped. Had he really been-?

Sirius smiled sadly, but didn't elaborate on it. Instead, he said, "Thank you so much for sharing that me. I want you to know that I'll always be here if you ever want to talk again."

Remus nodded jerkily. "That-That was the first time I've ever told anyone, even Marlene doesn't-"

Sirius' hand tightened on his shoulder when he was unable to speak anymore.

"How about you go get some sleep? You must be tired, both from this and the fact that you're not used to staying up at night," Sirius suggested, changing the topic, perhaps because he realized how much this was affecting Remus, and moved away from him to allow him to get up. Remus felt empty, and cold, when his hand released his shoulder but he quickly shook himself from such thoughts and nodded.

"I think that's a good idea," he agreed. "What about you though? Are you not going to sleep?"

Sirius smiled in that self-deprecating way of his again, "I'm not sure I  can  after that letter, but it's okay, I'm used to it." He shrugged in an uncaring way that made Remus ache because how many times had this man been forced to read these letters, and reply to them and face those vile, despicable insults hurled at him? At which point did he resign himself to them, and adopted this nonchalant attitude towards them?

"I'm sorry," he blurted out suddenly. At Sirius's confused frown, he elaborated. "I came here to ask you what was wrong and maybe comfort you but I was the one ended up going into a panic attack and.."

He was cut off as Sirius raised a hand, "Don't say that. I'm truly very grateful to you for listening to me, and for getting me out of that mood. James, and to a certain extent Lily, are the only ones who can. But, I would never begrudge you a chance to open up, especially knowing that you've never talked about it to anyone. And, I really am glad you opened up to me, Remus," he added with a small smile directed at him. Remus felt his own lips lift into a grateful smile.

Knowing no other words were needed, he nodded at Sirius and walked out of the living room to his own room, letting out a deep sigh as he reached his destination. That had been a whirlwind of a conversation, one that he never thought he'd have, but was ultimately glad he did have.


	7. The Accidental Flash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't know why but the formatting and stuff for this is really weird, I hope you guys don't mind that.
> 
> Also, I am LOVING the response this is getting and I cannot thank you guys enough for the interest y'all are showing and the reviews and interactions; it means so much to me 3
> 
> Enjoy, and don't forget to review! I would love to hear your thoughts, especially on this chapter.

The next day, Remus was out of the house to run some long overdue errands. He also said something about seeing Marlene, because he made a promise to see her every day? Sirius didn't really get that, but he had just shrugged and asked him if he'd be back for dinner. When Remus said he wouldn't, and that Sirius shouldn't wait up for him, Sirius was hit with a strangely domestic feeling. Before he could ponder on it, though, James had walked in through the door, obnoxiously announcing himself. He had made himself at home, no surprise there, and turned on the television to the ongoing cricket match. What did not help the already weird domestic feeling was James going so far as to order Sirius to get him a beer and some chips.

The only thing James got was an empty can to his head, however.

"You know, my head still hurts," James grumbled twenty minutes later.

Sirius smirked, not at all looking sorry for what he did. "Aww, do you want me to kiss it better, ickle Jamesie?"

James scowled at him but before he could say anything else, Sirius blurted out what he'd been meaning to talk to him about for a while now.

"I told Remus about my family. The whole deal; Walburga, Black madness, my insomnia, everything."

James blinked in surprise, both at the abrupt change in topic and at what Sirius said. "That was quick." Sirius shrugged, looking down at his hands.

"Did you also tell him about-?" he eyed Sirius meaningfully.

Sirius bit his lip. "Not..exactly. I kind of insinuated it, and I think he knows but I didn't outright say it."

James took in a sharp breath. "You never talk about that."

"I-uh, he's gone through something similar and I, I didn't know how else to make him feel better," Sirius admitted hesitantly, not knowing whether he was correct in divulging something Remus had told him in confidence but this was James and there were no secrets between them.

"Are you telling me he was abused as well?" James gasped, horror filling his light hazel eyes.

Sirius shrugged again, not wanting to say anything else. "I..wasn't really abused, per s-"

"Don't you even try, Sirius," James growled, cutting him off mid-sentence. "They starved you, and you have fucking cigarette burns on your legs. If that isn't abuse, then what is?"

The raven-haired man didn't say anything, knowing what James was saying was right but not being able to reconcile that knowledge with that he was feeling. It wasn't an easy fact to admit, and the first time James had come to know about it, he was even more nonchalant about it than he was now because he truly did not think it was something to be worried about.

Of course, James wrenched him away from that notion quickly enough.

Sirius sighed, "That doesn't matter now, anyway. It was years ago and it's no use talking about it now, anyway."

James scowled but didn't carry the topic any further. After a minute, he spoke again.

"What prompted you to start talking about it anyway? You usually hate anything to do with that time."

Now it was Sirius' turn to scowl darkly, his grey eyes darkening with anger. "Walburga saw it fit to send her first letter of the year. Got it in the mail yesterday, broke a couple glasses."

James looked at him in concern. "What'd it say? The usual?"

Sirius scoffed bitterly. "Of course. 'You're such a disgrace, you don't deserve to live, blah blah' I personally thought the most hilarious part was when said claimed that I'm 'blackening our family name' because they truly don't need me to do it for them."

James sneered. "Fucking bitch. Who does she think she is, going around calling you names and telling you off?" he shook his head, "I really don't get why you still insist on opening these letters even after all these years, because it's not like she tries to hide the fact that they're from her, and you already know what they're gonna say. Why bother even looking at them? I say you just throw them in the trash as soon as the postman brings them to the house."

"Just call me a masochist," he shrugged. James narrowed his eyes at him, knowing there was more to it than he was divulging, but he just grinned back at him, although he knew it didn't look remotely like his usual teasing self.

Even though he didn't want to tell James, mostly because he didn't want to believe it himself, he kind of had an inkling why he always opened her letters, despite knowing what they would contain. Deep down, he knew they wouldn't suddenly turn into rainbows and flowers, asking for him to come back and saying that they were family for what they did and how they acted. He knew they wouldn't have a sudden change of heart and turn into semi-decent people. And yet, he hoped. He ached for them to say it just once, tell him that they were proud of him, that they didn't mind his sexuality, that they would accept him as he is: gay, tattooed and long haired. But no, it wouldn't happen, that day would never come. He knew it and yet he longed for it.

He didn't tell James because even though there were no secrets between the two of them, he couldn't bear to take his pitying looks when he realized what Sirius was holding on for, and he couldn't bear James thinking that it wouldn't ever happen, because Sirius had always been able to tell what his best mate was thinking. He wouldn't be able to take James hesitating around him, no telling him what he actually thought because he didn't want to hurt him, or didn't want to sound cruel and harsh. He didn't want this because they'd never been worried about speaking their mind around each other, they would say the cruelest of things if they thought the other needed to hear it.

James knew his family was his weak point, the one place he was unreasonably sensitive and if he started censoring himself because he thought Sirius' wouldn't be able to take it, then that was something Sirius could not accept.

So instead of acknowledging this complicated mess, he just decided to keep these thoughts to himself.

"I think I'll make a cup of tea for myself, you want?" he asked after a while, getting up. His legs were cramping from sitting in the same position for so long and he also wanted to get out of the room to clear his head a little.

James gave him a knowing look but replied, slight distaste clear on his face that made Sirius chuckle. "If it's your disgusting green tea, then no thanks. I can do without that crap in my body."

This James was what Sirius wanted, the one who wasn't afraid to speak his mind, even if it's to insult everything Sirius believed in.

He smiled, eyes twinkling with happiness. "I'll make you your English Breakfast you fucking snob, but one of these days I swear I'll get you to drink green tea and actually like it, just you wait."

James scoffed. "Well, I'll be waiting eagerly for that day to arrive, mate."

* * *

"Moooooooooooonyyyy," Sirius called out as he saw the now familiar head of brown hair just ahead of him. He had just gotten out of class when he spotted Remus hurrying about in front of him, books clutched to his chest and a weird expression on his face.

At the sound of his nickname, and Sirius' voice, Remus turned around suddenly. He didn't even think anything of the nickname, more than used to it by now in the past couple months. True to how Sirius and James got their names, he had an embarrassing experience to credit to his name as well. Well, another embarrassing experience that gave him this particular nickname, to be exact. Even thinking of it now made his face, and neck flame bright red. He could remember it as clear as day. It was about 3 months after he had moved in.

_Remus was standing in his room, just a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. He was fresh out of the shower, his hair was dripping and he was trying to figure out what to wear for the day. He wasn't planning on going out, but there was a chance he would go out for dinner with a couple friends from uni and he didn't want to change twice._

_So basically he didn't want to dress too casually in case he went out, but not too dressy in case he ended up staying in._

_Yes, he was lazy. Sue him._

_After a few minutes of deliberation, and quite some hair pulling, he decided on a casual grey t-shirt and a pair of khakis. If he did go out, he could just throw on a flannel shirt or something. Simple._

_Grinning, he dropped his towel, bending a little to grab his boxers from the drawer._

_"Hey Re-HOLY FUCK!" The sound of his door opening and an exclamation coming from behind him made him freeze in horror, midway through picking up his underwear._

_"Oh my fucking god," he heard a second exclamation coming from another person. He closed his eyes in resignation, knowing his pasty arse was now thoroughly seen by BOTH Sirius and James. He looked upwards in a 'God help me' way._

_"Fuck, we are-shit, so so sorry, Remus, we'll just be-" he heard Sirius stuttering out before the door was slammed._

_He still kept his eyes screwed shut, hoping this was all just a terribly humiliating dream that he would wake up from._

_No such luck, though. He should've known. Why would the universe listen to him?_

_He tried to look at the silver lining, that at least he hadn't been turned around and they hadn't caught him with his bollocks out or something but oddly enough, it didn't really work all that well. Wonder_ why, _he thought sarcastically._

_When he had managed to calm himself and his blushing face down, and gotten properly dressed, which took the better part of an hour, he was ashamed to admit, he hesitantly went out to the living room. As far as he could see, only Sirius was there, worriedly pacing a hole into the living room carpet (which was another thing that still made his head go round, an actual carpet. His house never had one, nor had his friends and the less said about the dorm rooms, the better)_

_He briefly wondered where James was, before quickly dismissing the thought, thinking that it was probably for the better that he_ deal _with only one person who had seen him in the buff rather than two._

_"Uh, hi," Remus thought it was better to break the ice himself than work himself into a nervous sweat over what Sirius was thinking._

_Sirius whirled around at the sound of his voice, "Oh uh Remus. Hi!" His voice was a little too high pitched but neither of them decided to comment on it._

_Sirius rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly when the silence stretched for a little too long and just as Remus was about to blurt out that it wasn't a big deal and he was a grown man and shouldn't feel embarrassed_ over _something like this, which was bound to happen at some point, Sirius spoke again._

_"James..left, because he thought it would be a little too awkward and well, can you blame him?" he shrugged, widening his arms a little bit, "He told me to apologize to you, though."_

_Remus waved his hand, "Oh no no, it's no issue. I'll tell him it's okay next time he's here."_

_Sirius let out a laugh, "Don't be worried if it's a little while before that happens. And by that, I mean like three days."_

_Remus raised an eyebrow, "That's your definition of 'a little while'?"_

_Sirius shrugged again, "Well, you know Prongs and how often he's here so, yeah."_

_The silence had set in again but this time it was Remus who broke it. "Okay, but seriously, don't let this make things awkward, please. I should've locked the door."_

_Sirius immediately shook his head, making his hair fly around wildly, "Oh no no no, it's definitely my fault for opening the door like that without knocking or anything. It's just that I still haven't really gotten used to having a housemate. I mean, living in a boarding school kind of desensitizes you to that stuff and well, James never really cared and-"_

_Remus cut him off before he could ramble even more, not that it wasn't cute but he wanted to assure Sirius that it wasn't his fault. "Let's just forget this happened okay? There's no need for you to blame yourself, yeah?"_

_Maybe the hope he was feeling inside that they could get past this and maybe never mention it again showed up quite clearly on his face because Sirius chuckled quite loudly._

_"Ah Remus, in that case, you wouldn't mind if I call you Moony, would you? You'll truly be part of the gang, then."_

_And well, after that, there was no looking back._

Back to the present however, at the sound of Sirius' voice, a relieved expression crossed his face, making Sirius even more suspicious. Something was wrong, and he going to find out what.

"Hey Sirius!" Remus greeted as he changed course and headed towards the raven haired man. "What're you doing here?"

"Just got out of class," Sirius shrugged. "I was about to head home when I saw you. What time are you done?"

"Uh," Remus looked down at his watch, "about ten minutes? I have to return a book to the library, so I was just heading there."

"Cool!" Sirius exclaimed happily, "I'll give you a ride home then."

Something warm fluttered in Remus' stomach when Sirius casually said home, but he ignored it, as he had learned to do for various such mysterious feelings over the months.

"I-No, that's no problem, I don't want to hold you up," Remus tried to tell Sirius but he wasn't having any of it.

He just waved his hand carelessly. "Nonsense. We're going to the same place, why wouldn't I give you a ride?"

Remus sighed in defeat as he realized Sirius wouldn't relent and he was stuck going with him. Not that he really minded but some...things...would probably happen that would lead to shit and he didn't really want to dwell on that so he just shook his head and nodded at Sirius, telling him he understood. Sirius beamed at him and started walking towards the library.

Remus' could feel the desperation leaking into his face as he saw Sirius walk at an unhurried pace, obviously waiting for Remus to catch up with him but he couldn't…..

He looked over his shoulder, but there were was nothing unusual there so he quickly hurried forward, the anxiety leaving him as he realized he could get to Sirius without being interrupted.

He should have know he wouldn't be so lucky, however. Just as Sirius turned the corner, and Remus was about to, someone stepped in front of him, effectively and deliberately blocking his path. His heart dropped to his stomach as he looked up at the not very tall but certainly intimidating frame of Severus Snape. His hair was his usual oily self, falling over his eyes. He was dressed in pitch black and he didn't really cut an impressive figure. But once you looked into his eyes, you would realize why people were afraid of him. They were like bottomless pits, pitch black and emotionless. Not once in the time that Remus had known him, and he'd known him for three years now, had he showed a single emotion. It was always a sneer, or a smirk, or a snark or a raised eyebrow. But his eyes never showed anything, and perhaps that was the most intimidating part about him. No one truly knew what he was thinking.

"Well, well, well, Lupin, where are you hurrying off to?" he drawled in his usual voice. One could describe it as silky, but it wasn't even remotely similar to Sirius' whose voice always felt seductive. Snape's voice felt like thousands of bugs were crawling over you, making you want to wipe them away at the earliest.

"Snape," Remus' eyes flashed, caution and anxiety swirling in his honey amber orbs. "What do you want?"

"I merely want to know where you're staying, Lupin, why are you getting so defensive?" the slimy bastard smirked, clearly knowing what effect he had on the other man.

Remus took a deep breath, anger flashing through him at Snape's words. The fucking nerve of him. "I don't really see how that's any of your business, so..if that's all then I'll be going. Nice chatting with you." With that he stepped to the side with the intention of going to the library and not looking back but apparently Snape had other plans. One swift flick of his hands and all the books in Remus' hands clattered to the floor. He cursed himself for forgetting his bag today of all days, when he had most of his classes. He was late in the morning and his bag wasn't fully dry from the rainfall the previous day. He didn't have time to look for another one and so just decided to carry it all with him.

He closed his eyes in resignation, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop this. He knew from experience that if he said, or did something, it would just prolong it and make it worse but if he didn't say anything, he would be let off that much quicker.

Instead of Snape's voice, however, he heard another, more familiar and much more welcomed voice. Sirius' voice. But it wasn't how he remembered it. It was cold, steely and demanding. Remus quite thought that if he opened his eyes, Sirius would look like how he did that night he found him amidst a circle of broken glass, a letter clutched in his hand.

"What, exactly, do you think you're doing, Snape?" That voice was enough to send shivers down Remus' spine and not in the good way. It was taut with anger, ready to snap at any moment and he would not want to be in the way when it did.

He could hear more than see the sneer in Snape's voice when he replied, "None of your fucking business, Black. Fuck off."

Remus slowly opened his eyes, not able to take not knowing what was happening anymore. In front of him, Sirius had come back through the corner he had turned and Remus was right, he did look like that night. His grey eyes were blazing and his fists were tightly clenched.

Snape, on the other hand, looked like he'd swallowed a lemon. And yet, he managed to twist his lips up in a sneer.

Remus tried to get between the two of them. "Guys, guys, nothing's wrong here, how 'bout we all jus-" He was cut off by a snarl from Sirius, who turned to him.

"Remus," he spoke in a tight voice, so different from its usual airiness, which was the first red flag. The second was the fact that he said Remus, instead of Moony, which had been his preferred choice since he was christened with the name, "I saw what he did. He had no reason to and yet he toppled your books over, so don't even try." Then he turned to Snape again.

"You think you're so cool, so scary don't you? Using seventh-grade scare tactics in your third year at university?" he snarled, hate clear in his voice.

"You know nothing, Black, so I suggest you stay out of it," Snape replied, his voice laced with anger.

"I don't need to know anything to understand what just happened. I also don't need to know any more than I already do, Severus Tobias Snape," At that, Sirius moved forward until he was almost nose to hook nose with Snape.

"Don't think I'm not aware of what you did to Remus, you bastard," he hissed, "And I would advise you to not forget who you're talking to as well. I know Dumbledore likes covering your ass, but even he won't be able to stand in front of the whole Board and reasonably justify keeping a student who deals drugs on his campus while kicking the star student out when James Potter and Sirius Black, of the esteemed families, 'innocently' put in a complaint."

Snape paled, his first sign of any form of fear throughout this whole debacle, and just that one action was enough for Remus' jaw to drop. He had never seen Snape anything but completely self-assured and arrogant. This was quite a pleasant change.

"Are you threatening me, Black?" Snape managed to bite out, despite his current state.

"Label it however you want, Snivellus. If you don't stop, I'll turn it into reality," Sirius issued one final threat before backing up, his glare never lessening in intensity.

With a deep shuddering breath, Remus realized the whole corridor was silent, watching the confrontation with bated breaths. They weren't disappointed.

After a few seconds, Sirius bent down to pick up the fallen books and held them comfortably in one hand. When Remus finally realized what had happened, he tried to protest and take the books from him, but Sirius did not relent. Remus only eased away when Sirius gave him that look, the one that made him look all intimidating and commanding and did funny things to Remus. He had an inkling of what it was, but as he had asserted earlier, he didn't quite want to get into it now. Preferably, never.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's cut off at a weird place but it was getting ridiculously long and I had to end it somewhere xD   
> Next chapter will be a direct continuation of this.


	8. The Bullied Student

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the late update but real life got in the way and that shouldn't even be an excuse for this considering everything was pre-written but it's the only one I have *hides behind fingers*
> 
> This chapter has quite some action, so I hope you guys enjoy it. It is also not one for the Snape fans. I, personally, detest the guy in canon and because I've tried to write these characters as I felt they were in canon, I've written Snape as he is.

 

 

"Let's go," Sirius said, taking his hand and half dragged him towards the library. Remus flushed when he realized that Sirius' hand was literally wrapped around his and it felt quite nice in that position.

They reached the library in record time and Sirius turned to Remus, an expectant look in his eyes. Remus cocked his head out in confusion, not understanding what he was waiting for.

"The book, Remus," Sirius clarified after a while. "You said you had one to return?"

Remus blinked rapidly when realization struck him. They were at the library. Where he had to return a book. And Sirius was waiting for him.

Mentally facepalming himself, he nodded hurriedly as he pointed out which book he had to return amongst the thick pile in Sirius' arms. Looking at it made him quite guilty, and just when he moved to take some of them, the raven haired man moved them away from his reach with a speed he hadn't seen in him before. Remus looked at him with the beginnings of a pout forming on his face, but didn't try anything else. Sirius looked quite satisfied at that.

After he had successfully returned the book, he turned to Remus. "You want to leave now?"

Remus looked at him in confusion. He wasn't going to say anything about what had happened? Because just a minute ago, he was fuming. When he looked closer, however, he understood that Sirius was masking his rage, probably because he didn't want to blow up in such a public place. His grey eyes were swirling with different emotions, the most prominent one being anger. Remus gulped and just nodded.

Sirius looked at him, as if about to say something but then thought better of it and shook his head, walking out of the library, this time waiting for Remus to actually catch up before moving off. That little fact made him flush harder, but he ignored it in lieu of walking faster. He didn't even have the extra weight anymore.

He followed Sirius out to the uni parking lot, curiosity filling him as he tried to figure out what kind of vehicle he drove. He had never heard any mention of a car before, so he didn't really have any idea where to start.

He didn't have to wonder long, however, as Sirius soon stopped in front of a…..motorcycle. Huh. He didn't expect that..although, looking at Sirius, he should was as punk rock as one could attempt to be, why wouldn't he have a motorcycle? It was but natural.

As Sirius was putting his books in some compartment beneath the seat, he couldn't help but give the vehicle a nervous once-over. He had never been on one, but he was quite excited, truth be told.

 _You just want to be pressed right up against Sirius, admit it_ , his subconscious whispered, making it's appearance yet again. He was wondering where it had gotten to. Remus sighed as he couldn't even try to deny that little fact. It wasn't the only reason but it was a pretty major part of it.

"Okay, so hold this," Sirius suddenly spoke, handing him a huge black helmet. It had a big paw print on the back.

"Uh, is that supposed to be what I think it is?" Remus asked hesitantly, pointing at the paw print.

Sirius scowled, but there was no bite behind it. It seemed almost fond, if that made any sense? "Lily got it for me, James has one with a pitchfork on the back."

Remus choked on air when he heard that, one accidental snicker escaping his lips. He immediately bit his lip and looked up at Sirius, not wanting to offend him.

Sirius gave him a wry smile. "Laugh it up, Moony, laugh it up. I spent a good few minutes rolling around on the floor after he unwrapped his gift. The gift alone was worth it but his expression just made it impossibly better."

Remus snickered once again at the mental image of James' face when he received something like this, especially after what he'd heard of his and Lily's relationship. He had yet to meet her, unluckily being out of the house the few times she had been over. Apparently, she had some huge end of term project coming up and couldn't really spare any time to come over.

"Okay, hop on," Sirius said, looking amused. Remus noticed with surprise that he had already climbed up on to the bike and started the engine. He was so busy laughing, and thinking about Lily, that he didn't even notice the loud revving of the engine. He looked at Sirius, and thought how much he preferred this look to his previous mask of calm rage.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted one leg over the seat and situated himself down on it, wincing slightly when he sat the wrong way. After a few seconds of wriggling around, he managed to fit himself comfortably on the seat but with one problem. His hands were hanging on his sides. He wasn't quite sure what to do with them.

He heard a sigh come from in front of him, though he wasn't quite sure how with his helmet, and in the next second, Sirius had reached behind him to grab his arms and wrapped them around his midsection, giving them a firm tug so that he fell forward onto Sirius' back.

"Sirius!" he exclaimed, trying to sit back but Sirius was revving the engine in such a way that he was afraid he'd fall. Not that Sirius would ever do it on purpose, but you never know.

"Welcome to Elvendork, I hope you enjoy your experience!" Sirius called out before he took off. He did it so suddenly that Remus didn't even have time to think about how he had actually named his bike-  _and Elvendork, at that_ \- because he was too busy holding on to Sirius for dear life.

While this was one of the most exhilarating things he'd done in the recent past, or ever, really, it didn't really feel like the safest and although Remus had faith in his housemate's driving abilities, he was going at a pace way too fast for his liking.

Soon-  _too soon, in Remus' opinion_ \- they reached the now familiar apartment complex.

As he got up and took his helmet off, his lips curled up into a grin. "That was amazing!"

Sirius laughed, "I'm glad you thought so, because your hair doesn't seem to agree with you on that."

Remus grinned sheepishly at that, reaching up to tousle his hair back into a semblance of coherency before giving up. He shrugged at Sirius, showing him it was a hopeless case, eliciting another laugh from the raven haired man.

He gestured for Remus to go upstairs, telling him that he had to park 'Elvendork' first. Remus shook his head but obediently went up nonetheless. When he entered the apartment that he had slowly come to think of as his own as well- due to being told so many, many times by two black haired men he knew- a feeling of dread settled into his chest, making it a little hard for him to breathe.

He knew what was coming as soon as Sirius had finished parking his bike and came up, and truth be told, he wasn't looking forward to it. In fact, he was downright dreading it.

But, at the same time, there was a niggling voice at the back of his head telling him that this might not be so bad after all, that maybe he was just creating a big deal out of nothing and that maybe Sirius wouldn't even care.

All such notions flew out of his mind when he saw Sirius enter the house with a thunderous look on his laid-back face. Remus gulped, all his previous anxiety hitting him full force.

"Uh-do you want me to get you a glass of water, or a….." Remus, who had been attempting to stall for time, trailed off when Sirius' grey eyes blazed, a sign that he was really fucking angry and this wasn't the time for whatever Remus was trying to do.

"I just," he started in a tight voice, clearly holding his anger back, though one could clearly in his voice, "need you to tell me what that was, Remus."

Remus didn't try to change the topic again, because somewhere deep down, he wanted to tell Sirius as well. He had seen the efficient way in which the other man handled Snape earlier and how, despite not liking it, had even used his status as a Black. Just for his sake.

So even though he didn't want, he was kind of hoping that Sirius could help him out in this situation because while he never really told anyone, it was taking a toll on him, mentally and academically.

So he did. He sat down and he told Sirius everything, right from the beginning. And boy, did he speak.

"It started in my first year. Little things like disappearing books, my bag randomly tearing in the middle of the hallway, ink stained notes, petty middle school stuff like that. At first, I didn't know who it was. But then, I think about three months later, I saw Snape rifling through my bag. The next time I picked it up, a frog jumped out of it?"

He shook his head in disbelief, still not understanding how someone who was in college could do stuff like that. Worst of all, he didn't even know why he was targeted.

After a while though, when Snape started straight up bullying him, he wished it could go back to the petty stuff because while yes, it did cost him money and time to get things mended or replaced, at least it wasn't anything permanent and he could deal with it.

Realizing he had stopped long enough that Sirius was looking at him in concern, he cleared his throat and started talking.

He talked of the loneliness he had always felt, even before Uni, and how these actions just intensified those feelings. He talked of the bullying he had faced even when he was in school due to his sexual orientation. He talked about how Snape somehow seemed to know about it and used it as an attack because say whatever you want about Severus Snape but he was very good at sniffing out weakness and then attacking right there. He told Sirius about how he had always immersed himself in his studies because he didn't want to face the outside world. Why would he, anyway, when it had been so cruel to him?

And even though he talked for as long as he did, Sirius never interrupted him. He had leaned back into the chair he was sitting on, his head cocked to the side, an expression on his face that Remus couldn't quite decipher. The only thing that indicated that he wasn't quite as calm as he was projecting himself to be was his clenched fist. Even from where he was sitting, Remus could see that he had drawn blood.

And though he knew he shouldn't and that it was disgusting to actually feel pleased about that, Remus couldn't help it. Here was someone who had only known him for six months and he was so angry on his behalf. People he had known for years didn't care and this..this man who was practically a stranger cared more than anyone else and that thought simultaneously saddened and warmed him.

When he was finished, he took a deep shuddering breath and hung his head. He hadn't ever told anyone even a fraction of all that. The thing with Snape was well and good but he hadn't even planned on telling Sirius about the time before he came here. That had just tumbled out of his mouth without his permission, as if his body had decided that he had kept this inside him for far too long and needed to let it out and Sirius was the perfect candidate for it.

Remus didn't disagree with that, per say, but that didn't mean that he had wanted to tell him everything. What's done, though, was done and he could admit that he felt...better. He hadn't quite realised how much all this was weighing on him until he didn't have the pressure on him, and he felt lighter than he had in years.

He suddenly felt a presence beside him on the couch and a warm hand enveloped his, effectively stalling his nervous movements.

"Remus," Sirius started in a voice so soft that Remus had ever thought he was even capable of, "I-I am  _so fucking sorry_  that you went through all that bullshit. I just- it breaks my heart to know all of that happened to you for no fault of your own. I know I can't do anything about what has happened til now but I can now, and I want to. James and I can put a stop to what Snape is doing to you, all this harassment- and yes, it is harassment- that you don't need to go through and don't deserve. I know you, and I know you're not the confrontational type. You'd rather carry a burden on your shoulders and suffer through something to avoid conflict and while that might be an admirable trait at times, when it comes to yourself there are some things you HAVE to do, despite not liking it.

I know this because I had to as well. When I was at Grimmauld Place, that is, my parents' house, I was getting hurt every day, whether it be emotionally or….physically and for the longest time, I didn't know it was anything wrong, anything I didn't deserve. I took it without complaint but when I met James, he was the one who helped me realize how wrong it was, how I shouldn't just take it lying down and actually do something about it. I didn't do it alone, oh hell no, and I doubt I would ever have been out of their reach had it not been for Prongs and his parents but what matters, Remus, is that I. got. out.

I'm telling you this not to invoke sympathy or make it seem like I can relate, because I can't, but because I'm trying to tell you that you need to take a step. While I wish, more than anything, to be able to help you, I won't be presumptuous enough to do it without your permission. Only after you've told me that it's okay will I step in. so, Remus, this is your call and no one else's," Sirius finished, his voice passionate and full of emotions.

Remus was not ashamed to admit that his eyes were a little moist by the end of Sirius' impassioned speech. It had been….so long since someone had cared for him so deeply that he didn't quite know how to feel, it was so overwhelming. While his mother had loved him with all her heart, she had never stood up for him and even though Remus could understand her reasons it didn't mean her actions, or lack thereof, didn't sting.

So seeing Sirius get so worked up, and so protective, and so angry on his behalf was doing things to Remus that he had long ago decided not to question or look into further. He didn't think he would like what he found.

A slight squeezing of his hand reminded him that he had technically been asked a question and Sirius was still waiting for his answer.

Blushing lightly, he said, "I..I would love it if you guys could help. It's...it's so much more than I could ever ask of you guys. You've been so helpful to me, this house has been an utter fucking godsend and I just, I don't know how I'll ever thank you for this. I-You're right that I don't like confrontation, in fact, I completely hate it. I hate the thought of it and I hate that we have to engage in conflict for our voices to be heard and our concerns to be treated. But, it's not easy maintaining it. I've been..so exhausted for so long because I've always wanted to ignore any sort of conflict and it's taking its toll on me. Just, thank you, thank you so much."

Sirius smiled at that, his grey eyes now going back to their usual whirlwind of colors instead of a dark, solid stormy grey. Remus heaved a small sigh of relief at that; he didn't quite realize how much he had wanted to see those light grey eyes until then.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about this, then. We know how to deal with Snivellus, we've been doing it a long time, unfortunately," he assured, though he was scowling at the last line.

Remus cocked his head. "Snivellus? Where does that come from?"

Sirius bit his lip sheepishly, a move that sent shivers down Remus' back. "Severus Snape is not the only one gooding at sniffing out weaknesses, Moony. When you combine his...fear of being called weak or useless with James' and my proficiency at nicknames, you come up with Snivellus." He shrugged in a matter of fact way, although his eyes were gleaming with not-so-hidden pride.

"I would say that it's terrible that you're using someone's fear to tease them," Remus started, holding a hand up when Sirius immediately opened his mouth to protest, "but then it's Snape, and I'm really not a fan of his so I'll let that go."

Sirius grinned but before he could say anything else, Remus continued, "And speaking of weird names, what's up with Elvendork? I mean, is there a story behind that as well?"

The raven-haired man beside him snorted and when he spoke, Remus could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Why, Moony, does there have to be? It's unisex!" he exclaimed as if it explained everything. Remus shook his head in fond exasperation but decided not to take the conversation any further for the sake of his own sanity.

In the silence that followed, Remus became increasingly aware of Sirius' hand that was still on top of his. He was suddenly very aware of their sudden proximity, something he hadn't been until now. When he turned his head to look at his roommate, he could see smoldering grey eyes looking into his own.

He could see the heat in them and somehow, somehow he wasn't scared, or even nervous. He was  _excited_. He had been fighting this for a long while now and he wasn't sure he wanted to keep it going? Why was he fighting it anyway?

He leaned forward ever so slightly and saw Sirius do the same. Not even daring to breathe should he mess anything up, he closed his eyes just as a pair of incredibly soft lips touched his.

He could feel the smile on Sirius' lips as he moved his own in sync with his. He slowly wrapped his arms around the other man's neck and buried his hands in his unbelievably silky hair, something he had been longing to do for a long time now. It felt just as amazing as he had imagined. He could feel a pair of rough hands travelling over his back, massaging and kneading into it, making him moan.

Sirius was in heaven. Since the first time he had met Remus, he had felt..something for the man. Maybe it was in the way he was so shy, and yet so passionate, or maybe it was in how understated his good looks were and how he didn't seem to care about that at all. Maybe it was because he saw something...primal in Remus that appealed to him.

Maybe it was a combination of all of them or maybe it neither of them.

Either way, the reason didn't matter to him, at least not in the current moment, because he was too busy running his hands over Remus' beautifully muscled back. He could feel every plane, every taut muscle under his fingers and he was thoroughly enjoying it.

When he offered to take Remus home, he had never thought, in his wildest dreams, it would lead to what it did. Not the thing with Snape, and  _definitely_  not this. Though he wasn't complaining.

He nipped at Remus' bottom lip in a clear request for him to open, which the other man promptly did. This time it was Sirius' turn to moan as Remus' tongue skillfully massaged his, going over every nook and cranny in his mouth and introducing a whirlwind of sensations.

Despite having a preference for guys, Sirius' previous relationship was with a female, and even then they were together for 2 years, his longest relationship to date. That meant that he wasn't quite used to being with a guy, as opposed to Remus, who had way more experience than him. This didn't mean he was going to let that deter him, if anything it would just make him work that much harder to catch up to him.

With that in mind, he eagerly gave Remus the same treatment he had been subjected to and was rewarded with a husky moan that he was looking forward to hearing more in the coming days.

After a few minutes of heavy snogging, where their hands had started to wander to places other than the back and hair, namely each other's chest and collarbones, and the need for oxygen became greater than either of them could withstand, they pulled away from each other with flushed cheeks and swollen lips that were curved up in identical goofy smiles.

"That was-" Remus started but somehow, words fell short for what he wanted to say and he closed his mouth abruptly.

"It was," Sirius agreed. He bit his bottom lip, immediately drawing Remus' attention to it. It looked deliciously swollen, and his heart swelled with pride at the knowledge that he was responsible for it.

"Does this mean we're-?" Remus left his sentence floating in mid air again. Not on purpose, definitely not, but like before, he didn't quite know how to word it. Of course, dating would be the most obvious choice but he felt quite awkward using it so he just decided to leave it as is and hoped Sirius would get what he was trying to say.

He did. "If you want it to, then I don't have a problem with that," Sirius replied. His next words, however, were laced with a sort of nervousness that was quite uncharacteristic coming from him.

"I will have to warn you, though. My last relationship was with a female and it ended...badly." When Remus looked at him questioningly, he added, "She cheated on me, but you knew that. The thing is, she cheated on me with my younger brother."

At Remus' gasp, he smiled bitterly, no hint of warmth behind his action and continued. "Yes, not the best way to end a relationship, is it? Regulus was always competing with me, courtesy of our wonderful parents who always pitted us against each other. He was always the perfect son, and I was the rebel. If you ask me what caused her to cheat on me suddenly, and with Regulus of all people, I still won't be able to answer you." He shrugged, though Remus saw that it was anything but casual.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you," Remus murmured, not knowing what else to say. It was horrible that this man couldn't catch a break in his life, and that fate liked to fuck with him every chance it got.

"Eh, it's over now. Plus, you're here, aren't you?" Sirius suddenly grinned cheekily, some of his sadness fading away.

"Is that why you took out an ad for a roommate? To fill that void in your bed and life?" Remus joked. He, however, gaped wordlessly at the raven haired man when he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and looked anywhere but at him.

"I'll have you know it wasn't my idea," Sirius said defensively, though his eyes were sparkling with mischief.

"And who, pray tell, had this genius idea?" Remus asked with pursed lips. Inwardly, he was trying very hard to contain his laughter. The very idea that Sirius had looked for a roommate for something like this was ridiculous but at least it answered the question of why someone as rich as him had any need to rent his apartment out.

"Why, Prongs, of course!" Sirius exclaimed in a voice that suggested it was the most obvious thing in the world and Remus was an idiot for even asking such a question.

Remus shook his head ruefully. "I should've known you'd say that. Always throwing that poor man under the bus, aren't you?"

Sirius gasped in faux indignation, "How dare you, Moony! I never thought you'd hurt me like this!" He turned his head to the side and sniffed. Loud enough that it caused Remus to break out in raucous laughter.

"And now you laugh at me? Well, I never!" Sirius cried, sniffing again and setting Remus, who had just barely managed to get himself under control, off again.

Sirius smiled fondly as he looked at Remus wiping tears from his eyes. That man was far too serious for his own good, and it was nice to see him letting loose like this once in a while. And well, the fact that it was Sirius who was responsible for it didn't hurt either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alsooooo, there is only ONE chapter left after this and I actually cannot believe that this is about to end.   
> Thank you to everyone who's supported me here <3


	9. The Interesting Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the last chapter. I think this has to be one of my favorites ;)   
> I truly hope y'all like this, and any form of feedback is always welcomed.

 

Sirius could hear the front door open from where he was in the kitchen and cocked his head when he heard two sets of voices. One was James, that he knew before he heard the voice but the other was distinctly female and definitely not Lily. She had a very high pitched, almost grating, voice that you could recognize anywhere and this was definitely not it.

Waiting patiently for the footsteps to make their way into the kitchen where he was sitting at the table, with papers spread all around him, his face cleared when he saw Marlene, in the process of saying something that was making James guffaw like an idiot.

A small smirk grew on Sirius' face as he watched the two of them interacting together, homework lying forgotten behind him as he turned fully.

While people often liked to comment on the fact that James and Lily had the potential to make an extremely attractive couple, they often forgot the tiny little fact that they were  _way_ too incompatible to ever work together. While they were just fine as friends, as lovers it would just be a bet as to who'd stab the other first. Not a matter of if, but when. Both of them were explosive, extremely volatile personalities and putting them together for long periods of time was just a bad idea all around.

Marlene, on the other hand, from the interactions Sirius had had with her, was perfect for James. Almost scarily so. They were similar enough that they had a foundation to build upon, but after that, they had enough differences that they wouldn't get bored with each other. Unfortunately, Sirius knew just how easily James could lose interest in a person, whether romantically or otherwise.

Of course, both of them being the casual, playful people that they were, they probably wouldn't even enter a 'relationship' and instead just decide to fool around until one fateful day when they realized that they had legitimate feelings for each other. Sirius was looking forward to that day.

Although Sirius didn't know Marlene anywhere near well enough that he knew James-  _he didn't know anyone as well as he knew James-_ he knew that she preferred casual hookups to serious relationships just as much as James did and he knew that she would be the perfect match for him.

"Hey, Pads," James greeted as he entered the kitchen, his laughter finally under control and Marlene entering just behind him.

"James. Marlene," Sirius nodded at each of them in turn. "Where are you two coming in from?"

"Oh, went for coffee," Marlene replied. "We were...comparing Abrahamic religions. I only found out James has Theology today. It was an interesting discussion. It's been some time since I've had anyone to talk to about this, considering Remus really doesn't like religion and most of my other friends don't really give a shit.

"I didn't know you took theology as well," Sirius commented curiously. "I've never seen you in the class."

"Oh no no, I don't," Marlene denied quickly. "I wanted to but my schedule's too full for that. I'm really interested in it, though."

Sirius nodded in understanding.

"I get that. I really,  _really_ wanted to take Philosophy but one, it didn't really go with my other subjects, and I didn't have a free space for it either. I do read up on it whenever I get time, yeah, but it's not the same you know?"

Marlene hummed in agreement. She opened her mouth to reply but it was James who spoke instead of her.

"You guys and your studies, I swear. I have never met bigger nerds," he shook his head ruefully.

"You've clearly never spent all that much time around Remus then," Marlene shot back.

James grinned at her, "He's still not bad as either of you. Before you two decide to get into a discussion, let me just tell you that we don't have time for that."

Sirius placed a hand on his chest, a faux offended expression on his face. "What did we ever do to you, Prongs, for this cruel treatment?"

"And why don't we have time?" Marlene interrupted before James could reply to Sirius. Despite knowing them for not very long, she knew that once they got started, they could go on for hours and it was very hard to separate them. Better to finish it before it even began.

James frowned slightly. "Did I not tell you? We're going out for dinner today."

One dark brown eyebrow raised as Marlene looked at him in confusion. "We are?"

"Ah yes. I thought we could go and try the new Indian place that just opened up. I've heard it's really good," This time it was Sirius who replied. "Unless you don't want to…?"

She immediately shook her head, "Oh no no, that's not it at all. I'd love to come. You're lucky I love Indian as much as I do."

"We know, Remus told us," James replied cheekily.

"Right then, now that that's settled. We'll come pick you up at 7?" Sirius enquired.

"Yeah, that works," Marlene accepted. "How are we going?"

"James has a car, so we'll be using that. I'm afraid my bike can't handle four people yet," Sirius grinned. Marlene shook her head fondly but didn't say anything else. She was actually quite looking forward to the dinner, if she was being honest.

* * *

"Okay, this is fucking amazing," Remus moaned as he put scooped some of the butter chicken with his naan. He closed his eyes as the intense flavors all hit his taste buds at once, dancing across his palate and generally creating a pleasurable atmosphere in his mouth.

Opening his eyes, he saw Sirius' grey eyes darkening as he replied in a husky tone, "I agree. It truly is."

And against his better judgement, Remus blushed. He actually fucking  _blushed._ Shaking his head slightly and resigning himself to the fact that for as long as he would be in the company of one Sirius Black, there would be no predictability in his life.

"Oh my god," Marlene gasped at the same time James scoffed, "Way to go, Pads!"

Remus' face flamed at that but he managed to keep his voice under control as he said, "What?" Even to his ears, he sounded far more defensive than needed.

"Oh my god," Marlene repeated in the same tone. Sirius snickered from where he was sitting beside her.

"You guys are shagging, aren't you?" James said bluntly in his usual tactless manner.

 _I wish,_ whispered Remus' subconscious but he quickly batted that thought away before it could lead to anything.

"We're not," Remus choked out just as Sirius leaned forward to flick his fingers across James' forehead.

Rubbing his forehead, James shot a sour look at his best mate, merely sticking his tongue out when the other man said 'you know you deserve it so don't pretend otherwise.'

While the two of them had their own thing going on, Marlene turned towards Remus with a perfectly raised eyebrow.

"We kissed," Remus admitted, biting his lip. Marlene barely managed to muffle her squeal as she hastily covered her mouth with her hand.

"Woah," James gasped, making Remus realize that he had been listening into their conversation quite slyly, "I was joking. I didn't think you'd actually done anything."

Sirius sneered, "You wouldn't, would you, Potter?"

James merely waved him away, not even bothering to look at him. "Are you absolutely sure about him, Remus? Because once you're stuck with him, well…." He trailed away, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Remus was not fooled, however. He could see the overprotectiveness and the guarded suspicion swirling in those hazel brown orbs.

"Will you stop?" Sirius groaned. "I really don't need you to do this."

"Ah, but little Sirius," James started, "I do need to do this."

What 'this' was became clear to a confused Remus a few seconds later when James turned to look at him with his eyes glinting. At the same time, Sirius got up with a sigh and looked at Marlene with a pleading expression that soon had her biting her lip in amusement and following him towards the front counter.

When they were alone, James smiled at Remus. But, it wasn't one of those carefree smiles Remus was used to and he immediately knew what was coming.

"I won't hurt him," he immediately said. James looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Is that so?"

"Definitely. I do like him, really. I won't hurt him on purpose," Remus said with absolute conviction in his voice.

"Pettigrew messed him up pretty badly," James stated baldly. "I like you, Remus. A whole lot more than I ever liked  _that_ bitch, BUT if you ever do something remotely similar to the stunt she pulled, I'll make sure Snape seems like a first grader in comparison to what I'd do."

Remus gulped, but nodded, understanding where this was coming from. He knew if someone had hurt Marlene the way Paige had Sirius, then he would be just the same and vice versa.

"I get it, really. You don't have to worry," Remus assured him. James stared at him for a full minute before his mask cracked and a hesitant smile formed on his face.

"I hope you're not offended, Moony, but I had to do that," he said apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just get really protective when it comes to Sirius. That man has absolutely no sense of self-preservation at all."

Remus smiled gently, "I'm not. I would have been surprised if you  _hadn't_ given me this talk, to be honest."

James grinned sheepishly, "Heh. Thanks. But, and I feel like I have to warn you since you passed this one and I like you, you'll have to go through the same thing with Lily, but it'll be even more intense."

"Oh?"

"Since she doesn't have the power nor the inclination to beat people up at will like I sometimes do, she uses the power of manipulation, blackmail, and fear. It's much scarier, let me tell you."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Remus said, amused. James shuddered as if remembering an incident from the past.

"You guys all done?" A petulant voice sounded from behind Remus, making him turn around and come face to face with...Sirius' crotch. His eyes immediately went wide as he fumbled to turn back and he only ended up pushing himself closer to the man in front of him in his haste.

He closed his eyes in resignation as his face and neck burned red. He could hear the chuckles coming from the others. He felt a hand taking hold of his cheek and turning it to the side and that was when he opened his eyes.

He could see James and Marlene, who had gone over to sit beside the black-haired man, sporting identical grins on their faces and before either of them could open their mouths, he pointed a stern finger at them.

"Not. A. Word."

Both of them mimicked the action of zipping their lips together, but sat back with Cheshire grins on their faces, making Remus sigh.

"Ah, it's okay, Remus," Sirius patted his shoulder gently, "You'll get it when we go home."

At that, the two menaces in front of him couldn't stop their laughter and burst out snickering, attracting various looks from the people around them. Remus merely banged his head on the table, wishing the ground could swallow him whole.

"Aw, Moony," Sirius cooed, "You're so adorable."

At that, even Remus couldn't help but break into a slow smile. Upon seeing it, Sirius whooped in victory with his fist pumping the air.

"I propose we have a toast," he announced when everyone had calmed down. They had glasses of something called  _jaljeera_ on their table, which was a sweet, spicy, tangy drink that left your tongue tingling. Everyone leaned forward to take a glass and raised them together.

"To friends, and new relationships," Sirius said, winking at Remus as he did.

"To friends, and new relationships," everyone echoed before clinking their glasses together.

Remus couldn't have imagined his life turning out like this when he looked at a shady advertisement so long ago, but he couldn't have wished for anything better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Although this might not seem very long to most people, for me, it's a huge accomplishment. It's the first time I've finished a story of this length, and the first time I've prewritten something and stuck to some semblance of a schedule.   
> I wouldn't have been able to do this without all your support, and I thank each and every one of you who read this.
> 
> Loads of hugs and kisses to TheFearTakesHold, Lily_2015, rebelsaurus29, Moonstar24, DarkWolf3030, Rubbo, Candymind, NachoDiablo, Shinigami_Sensei and TwistedMind for the lovely comments you guys have left. They mean the absolute world to me <3

**Author's Note:**

> Did I just turn Peter into Paige? Yes, yes I did. I'm not even sorry about it, I wanted Sirius to be bi and who better to cheat on him than Peter's Muggle alter ego?


End file.
